The life of ITV Coronation Street Toyah star Georgia Taylor

Coronation Street’s Toyah Habeeb, played by Georgia Taylor, has always been at the centre of dramatic storylines. The actress first appeared on our screens in 1997 as part of the Battersby family.

Her character Toyah quickly became embroiled in a series of intense storylines – including a harrowing rape tale. Bosses at the ITV soap will revisit the disturbing storyline years later after Toyah’s stillborn baby was reportedly found in the park.

Toyah panics when she hears that the land is to be developed. Toyah is already facing difficult times as she tries to protect her sister Leanne Battersby from the influence of the ‘Reality Coding’ cult leader Rowan in Corrie.

As Toyah continues to navigate these turbulent waters, we delve into the personal life of actress Georgia, including her real name and her past relationship with a famous actor.

Coronation Street’s Georgia Taylor, 44, was actually born Claire Jackson. In a 2021 interview with the Mirror, she revealed: “It’s not that I planned it. But when I started Coronation Street, I had to register with Equity, the actors’ union, and at the time there seemed to be a hell of a lot of Claires, so I had to think of something else.”

“I couldn’t tell you where I got Georgia from other than I liked it, but my grandfather’s last name was Taylor and he died just before I got the role. As a teenager I didn’t really think about the consequences of choosing a completely different name, but over the years there has been quite a bit of confusion. At this point I’m pretty much ready for anything!”

Although she took a 13-year break from the role in 2003, she is still called Claire on her passport, as is her mother Caroline Jackson. On the Corrie set, half of the cast and crew call her Claire, while the rest know her as Georgia.

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The actress spoke about the confusion surrounding her name, explaining that many of her closest friends call her Georgia, a name she adopted after meeting her former partner Mark Letheren.

She amusedly noted the mix-up at her introduction: “It’s quite funny when I introduce myself to people. Everyone who knows me from Corrie thinks I’m Toyah and then I say, ‘I’m Georgia’, but I’m also Claire, so call me whatever you want really.”

love life

Taylor also reminisced about her relationship with ex-partner Mark Letheren, whom she met on the set of BBC series Casualty in 2008. During an appearance on Lorraine, she looked back on their time together and confirmed that they never officially married, but practically felt like they were married due to the length of their partnership.

Sharing details of their meeting, she said: “We met, he was a sort of semi-normal character, he ironically played a counselor, which is what Toyah did. We met, gosh, 13 years ago. So, yeah, we got him out of work and a lot of friends and it was a really good time.”

53-year-old actor Mark, known for his roles in Casualty, The Bill, Silent Witness and Wire in the Blood, has split from Georgia after a 14-year relationship, The Sun reported in January 2023. The couple are said to have split in July 2022.

In a poignant social media post late last year, Mark hinted at the emotional toll of the split, explaining: “It’s been the worst year after a series of increasingly shitty years. My life has finally fallen apart. Thankfully I’m incredibly lucky and have a family who have picked up the pieces and are trying to help me rebuild.”

“It is because of you that I am still here and trying to move forward. For that I am truly grateful. Whatever the new year brings, I hope you all have strength, humility, joy and love in abundance.”

Georgia has since started a new romance with her former on-screen husband Charlie De Melo, who played Imran Habeeb, Toyah’s lawyer husband, in Coronation Street. Imran was tragically killed off in the soap in 2022.

At the time, Georgia expressed her sadness, saying: “I absolutely adore him. He’s a dream, an absolute dream. He’s so funny, so we laugh a lot, but he’s honestly one of the most helpful people I’ve ever worked with and even now, of course, we’re still in touch, he texts me: ‘How was your day? Are you OK?'”.

“He’s just a team player. And I mean, look at him, there’s nothing to complain about. He’s beautiful.”

Their romance seems to be blossoming, as the smitten couple keep their adoring Instagram fans updated on all their experiences together. Their adventures so far have taken them to Sorrento and Belfast, as well as to a Blur concert.

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