Coronation Street teen stars now – Greggs server, GMB host romance and famous father

Coronation Street has made household names of its cast – but have you ever wondered where some of its famous teen stars are now?

Throughout the years a whole host of stars have played characters including Sarah Platt, Peter Barlow and Nick Tilsley, to name a few.

However, while some have gone on to new heights of fame, others have turned their backs on acting completely – while others have led particularly interesting lives off-screen too.

READ MORE: Coronation Street fans will recognise dodgy newcomer Damon from iconic police drama

Here, Daily Star takes a closer look at where some of Coronation Street’s teen stars are now.

Dawn Acton (Tracy Barlow)

Tracey Barlow is a Coronation Street icon – but did you know that multiple stars have played the character previously?

Young Tracey was played by Christabel Finch between 1977 to 1983, before the role was taken over by Holly Chamarette between 1985 to 1988.

However, teenage Tracey – who could often be seen listening to music in her bedroom – was played by Dawn Acton in the nineties.

Dawn became a familiar face on our screens, playing the role from 1989 unti the character left for a new life in London, before making a brief return to marry Robert Preston in 1999.

However, the character was later re-cast in 2002, with Daily Star reporting that it was rumoured Dawn was invited back to audition for the role – before the job went to current Tracey Barlow actress Kate Ford.

Dawn later made a career u-turn and became a DJ in her hometown of Manchester, and volunteers at the charity Beanstalk, which teaches children to read.

Speaking to The Sun, Dawn said: “Obviously I do miss working in Corrie but I do find the work I do now very rewarding. The fact is I believe everyone should have the chance to learn to read.

“I still do DJ-ing but I like volunteering for Beanstalk as I supported children to read about things they were interested in and for them to be able to get enjoyment from it.”

Dawn also paid tribute to on-screen mum Anne Kirkbride in 2015, following the stars tragic death, saying in a statement: “She was always so great with kids and she just had a really funny sense of humour, we got on immediately and had lots of fun together.

“She did see me grow up and she was always really supportive.”

The star and DJ has also been married to Thomas Kyle since 1998 and has one child.

Linus Roache (Peter Barlow)

Another member of the Barlow family to be played by multiple actors is Tracey’s brother Peter.

By 1973, four actors had played Peter, including Coronation Street legend William Roache’s real life son Linus.

Between 1973 to 1975, Linus played the son of William’s on-screen character – and later made a return to the cobbles in a different role as Ken Barlow’s long-lost son Laurence Cunningham in 2010.

Speaking about working together on the soap, William told The Sun that he was “enormously proud” of their work, but despite being a huge star in the UK, it is Linus who is recognised when they are abroad.

He said: “When I’m in New York, no one bothers about me, it’s all about Linus.”

That’s not all, as Linus has had a stellar career on-screen since his Corrie days, including joining The Royal Shakespeare Company and appearing as Bruce Wayne’s dad in 2005 film Batman Begins.

He has also appeared in TV series such as Vikings, The Blacklist, Homeland, Law & Order and most recently, Fellow Travellers.

Away from the limelight, Linus has been married to Rosalind Bennett since 2002.

Lynsay King (Sarah Platt)

Although Tina O’ Brien is famous for her role as Sarah Platt in Coronation Street, the role was played by two other actors originally.

When newborn Sarah was introduced in 1987, twins Leah and Lynsay King shared the role.

However, Lynsay suffered a tragic loss when sister Leah died from cot death six months later.

Lynsay continued to play the role until 1999, until the character was re-cast with current star Tina O’Brien in the role, with her first major storyline being Sarah’s teenage pregnancy.

In 2004, The Mirror reported that Lynsay had stepped away from the limelight after being bullied for her on-screen role.

She said: “It was horrible. Today I feel sad that I let bullies drive me out, but at primary school no one would let me join in any of their games.”

They also reported that Lynsay was working behind the counter of a Greggs store, but that she was hoping to return to a drama course in the future.

She said: “It’s hard work at Greggs but I enjoy it – you can have a laugh with the other girls. I hope to go back to my course, but at the moment I’m not doing any drama.”

However, it is not known what the star has been up to since then, and Coronation Street is Lynsay’s only credited acting role on IMDB.

Joe Gilgun (Jamie Armstrong)

While TV star Joe Gilgun might be famous for his roles in Brassic and Emmerdale, the star got his first taste of acting in ITV soap Coronation Street.

In 1994, he played Jamie Armstrong – the son of Diedre Barlow’s friend Tricia, who was caught shoplifting at BettaBuy.

Jamie was constantly getting into trouble on the soap, with many Weatherfield residents pointing the finger of blame at him if something went wrong.

Joe later left the soap in 1997, when his character Jamie departed Weatherfield with his mum Tricia, following her prison stint.

In 2006, Joe made a return to the soaps when he played Marlon Dingle’s brother Eli in rival ITV programme Emmerdale.

Eli got into mountains of trouble during his time in the dales, as well as developing a crush on Priya Sharma while working at the sweet factory.

However, Joe’s character later bid a tearful goodbye to brother Marlon before leaving the dales after an attempted theft in 2010.

Since his soap days, Joe has risen to new heights of fame in films including This Is England and its TV spin-off series, where he played Woody, as well as in hit comedy series Brassic, opposite fellow Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan.

Away from acting, Joseph has also spoken openly about his mental health and living with bipolar disorder, raising awareness of mental health during interviews.

He told The Guardian: “I mean, I understand that it makes me vulnerable, but I’m prepared to go to that place for the sake of anyone who’s suffered like I have.”

He added: “Do not make the assumption that because somebody has got mental health issues they are weak-minded.

“That person is terrified, anxious. Getting out of bed alone has been a huge, monumental task. Getting in that shower, brushing the teeth, somehow managing to eat their breakfast… Some will have children, and they have to go and do exactly the same thing you do at work, only they’re suffering like that.

“Now that to me is a f*****g hard dude or gal.”

Adam Rickett (Nick Tilsley)

While Ben Price is currently delighting fans as Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street, two actors played the role long before Ben stepped onto the cobbles.

Between 1981 to 1996, Warren Jackson played young Nick, before soap heartthrob Adam Rickett took on the role in 1997.

Adam later left the soap in 1999, before returning for multiple stints between 2002 to 2004, alongside his chart topping pop career.

His debut album, Good Times, was released in 1999 and reached number five in the UK album charts.

He later appeared on reality TV programme The Big Reunion in 2014 alongside fellow popstars including Dane Bowers and Gareth Gates.

However, Adam made a return to the soaps after taking on the role of Kyle Kelly in Hollyoaks between 2017 to 2020, and has appeared in stage productions such as Rent and Cinderella.

Away from the limelight, Adam married Good Morning Britain presenter Katy Fawcett in 2004.

In 2019, they also opened up an artisan bottle shop called Dexter & Jones in Cheshire.

The star also regularly updates his fans on social media, and recently warned them of the dangers of scams, after becoming a victim himself.

Taking to Instagram, the star revealed he had been scammed out of “tens of thousands of pounds,” and advised his followers to be extra cautious so they do not become victims themselves.

Sharing a video on his Instagram grid, he captioned the post: “CONFESSION TIME! I know a lot of people will laugh at me for this…but I want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. I got completely scammed this week by some fraudsters impersonating @barclaysuk.

It continued: “I know we all think we know what to do or how to react…but honestly I have never known the stress it created over the course of the scam…and now the embarrassment I feel.

“I can’t even begin to suggest how to protect yourself as I thought I was doing everything right… but please just be aware there’s people out there who know exactly how to play the system.”

Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk