by Tina O’Brien was busy again on the cobbles. She is ready to find herself back in another big part of Coronation Street. The actress is best known for playing Sarah Barlow – nee Platt – in the ITV soap, but she didn’t join until matriarch Gail Platt’s daughter turned 12.
The character first appeared in 1987, when Sarah was born to Gail Platt and Brian Tilsley, at the time children Leah King and Lynsay King. Sarah and her older brother Nick were later adopted by Martin Platt when he married Gail in 1991. Lynsay was retained in the role until Sarah’s 12-year-old appearance on screen in 1999, when Tina went , who was 16 years old at the time, joined the team.
And, over the years, she has faced a wide range of difficult stories – from the birth of her first child, Bethany, at 13 and being kidnapped alongside her family by her psychotic stepfather Richard Hillman; children were lost when her son, Billy, died shortly after birth, was attacked by Callum Logan and killed by his sister-in-law Kylie.
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Viewers have recently seen her having an affair behind her husband Adam Barlow’s back before her tragic death involving Damon Hay’s child. He has since been put behind bars and ended his relationship with Sarah and after paying off her daughter’s recently returned groomer Nathan Curtis, she will soon be taking matters into her own hands and asking him to commit the murder of Lauren Bolton.
Speaking about her involvement in the big story, which began back in February with the disappearance of teenager Lauren, played by Cait Fitton, and whether she is enjoying it, Tina recently said: “ Sarah was completely separate from Lauren’s storyline at first, it seemed. nothing to do with her, but the second Nathan faced him again he brought her into the fold.
“It’s this horror and the need to find Lauren, to know if she’s alive or dead and to know if Nathan did this to her. So I really enjoyed that be a part of it.”
Sarah’s long tenure in Weatherfield has seen the Rusholme-born actress grow up on screen. But her career did not begin on the Corr.
Before Tina landed the role of Sarah Platt in Corrie more than 20 years ago, she played the role of Claire in CITV’s hit Children’s Ward in 1997. She joined the Salford-based soap in 1999 and her character as part of a shock pregnancy storyline. at the age of 12, she later gave birth to daughter Bethany.
Tina, now 40, left the role in 2008 and, speaking about her reasons for quitting at the time, said: “This is a very difficult decision to make. I love playing with Sarah and I had a great seven and seven. a year and a half in Coronation Street, but I think the time has come to see what else is out there for me as an actor.”
She went on to star in other shows, most notably as Bex Fisher’s pupil in the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road. She also appeared in Casualty, Doctors, Blue Murder and Clocking Off before returning to Corrie in 2015, where she still appears today. She told The Mirror in 2021: “I think I got a three-month contract initially and I was hoping to get through the first three months here and hopefully stay. I feel very lucky to be I am and be part of a wonderful family.”
Away from the cobbles, Tina was in a relationship with co-star Ryan Thomas, who was on-screen ex-hubby Jason Grimshaw, from 2003 to 2009. They were just after Tina ended a year-long romance with Bruno Langley, who played Ryan’s on-screen brother Todd in Corrie before being replaced.
Speaking to The Mirror in 2007, Tina said: “Five months later I met Ryan and I was worried about him because he’s a friend of Bruno’s. But we worked really hard to make sure there was no tension between the three of us.” Tina and Ryan enjoyed a long-term romance off-screen, going on for six years. They also had a daughter named Scarlett before they split in 2009.
Scarlett followed in her parents’ footsteps into acting. It was announced last year that the now 14-year-old would be joining the Waterloo Road brand new reboot alongside her uncle Adam Thomas and cousin Teddy Thomas. While Adam reprized the role of Donte Charles, Scarlett and Teddy took on the roles of their on-screen children Izzy and Tommy.
Tina has since moved on from Ryan and is now married to Adam Crofts. The couple married on New Year’s Eve 2018 at the uber-luxurious King Street Townhouse in Manchester after welcoming eight-year-old son Beau four years earlier.
And last year Tina showed she was more loved than ever as she shared a tribute to her husband on social media. The mother of two shared photos and videos of Adam, some alone and some together. He showed them when they got married, on vacation, and on nights out together.
There have been many appearances from Scarlett and Beau since they were younger until now, including a trip to Disney. “I love this incredible person so much, Mr. Adam Crofts,” gushed Tina. She then added: “It’s not his birthday or our wedding anniversary. Just a leg.”
With a long spell on the cobbles under her belt, Tina has plenty of connections with her current and former co-stars. Tina is the true godmother of Emily Walton, played by the original Bethany Platt. Emily played Sarah’s daughter on screen from 2000 to 2007 before Lucy Fallon took over the role in 2015.
Last March, Corrie fans also recalled how Tina and co-star Ciaran Griffiths met in Waterloo Road back in 2011, when Tina starred as Rebecca “Bex” Fisher and Ciaran played a porn-obsessed Dylan. He forced Bex to live with him for 18 months, made films of her and posted them on a porn website before she finally went back home. But, because Dylan couldn’t have Bex, he went after his sister Jess Fisher.
Although her character often faces drama on the cobbles, Tina found that her real life was also subject to it. Soap bosses are said to have given her a week off work last month after it was revealed she was involved in a fight ‘over boys’ outside her Stockport home as an ‘unprovoked incident’.
Greater Manchester Police were investigating reports of an assault outside the soap star’s home in Bramhall on March 15. Footage of the alleged incident appeared to show Tina caught in the middle of a brawl.
The IS Manchester Evening News he understands that no arrests were made following the incident. It is understood that the police have now ended their inquiries, as reported by FEAR in April. A spokesman for Tina told The Sun last month: “Tina was the victim of an unprovoked incident outside her home which she reported to the police.”
