CORRIE fans are shocked to discover that Izzy Armstrong’s real-life hubby is a famous soap star himself – and he’s even appeared alongside her on the cobbles.
The long-running Weatherfield favourite Izzy Armstrong (played by Cherylee Houston) has been part of the cobbles since 2010.
Coronation Street fans have been left stunned after discovering that Izzy Armstrong star Cherylee Houston is married to a soap legend[/caption]
Izzy’s life on the street has been anything but dull – from high drama at the Underworld factory to some of the most intense storylines on the cobbles.
In 2016, she faced a difficult battle with chronic pain, leading her down a controversial path that saw her turn to cannabis.
Her struggles resulted in a two-month stint behind bars, leaving viewers shocked.
But it wasn’t all hardship for Izzy – her romance with Gary Windass (Mikey North) also captured fans’ hearts, particularly when they became parents to son Jake via surrogacy.
But viewers are only now putting two and two together about her real-life romance.
And it turns out her husband is no stranger to the world of soaps himself.
Cherylee is married to Toby Hadoke, who’s no stranger to TV screens.
He has appeared in Emmerdale, Shameless, Hollyoaks and Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights.
In 2021, he made a cameo on Corrie as Fergus, Izzy’s fiercely protective neighbour during the pandemic.
But Toby’s Corrie connections don’t end there.
He once starred as a vicar at Curly Watts’ wedding – a role he humorously describes as “about 747 years ago.”
When he’s not acting, Toby runs his own comedy hub in Manchester, XS Malarkey.
And he’s full of praise for his wife, calling her “a brilliant actor” and applauding her efforts to raise awareness about disability representation in the industry.
Fans were gobsmacked when they realised just who Toby was.
Real-life soap couples
Soaps are renowned for their sweet and scandalous romances – but it’s not just in scripted storylines where love is blossoming. A number of our favourite small-screen actors have fallen for co-stars and soapland rivals when the cameras have stopped rolling.
Max Parker and Kris Mochrie
- Despite playing brothers Luke and Lee Posner on Emmerdale, the pair never actually shared any scenes together. But the pair still fell in love after meeting on set. Max and Kris got together in 2020, moving in together later than same year and got engaged in 2022. In a sweet Instagram post, the couple confirmed they’re planning a 2025 wedding.
Beth Cordingly and Ian Kelsey
- Beth, who plays Ruby Fox-Miligan, announced her love for her co-star Ian Kelsey, who played Dean Glover, shortly after she joined Emmerdale at the beginning of 2024. “I am very in love with Ian and very happy. I think it really does work him being an actor too. He has been so fantastic,” she gushed.
Laura Norton and Mark Jordan
- Kerry Wyatt and Daz Eden actors Laura and Mark met on the set of Emmerdale in 2014. The couple, who got engaged in 2018, told Loose Women they spent a long time deciding whether they should “just stay as friends.” Although it seems they were meant to be and the pair now share two children together.
Zoe Henry and Jeff Hordley
- Emmerdale favourites Zoe and Jeff, who play Rhonda Goskirk and Cain Dingle met at drama college in 1994 and have been together ever since. While working together might be too much for some couples, that’s definitely not the case for Zoe and Jeff. Zoe previously told The Sun: “Working on the same show as Jeff also helps because if one of us is having a bad day then the other will completely understand.”
Lesley Dunlop and Chris Chittell
- Lesley and Chris are another Dales romantic success story. Unlike some of the other soap stars, the pair who play Brenda Walker and Eric Pollard, are together on and off screen, officially tying the knot in 2016. They also adore working together, but have clear home-work boundaries. “We make a point of not talking about Emmerdale when we’re at home, though – that would be just too sad, wouldn’t it?” Chris revealed.
Sally Carman and Joe Duttine
- Abi Franklin and Tim Metcalfe actors Sally and Joe got together after meeting on the set of Coronation Street in 2017 and they tied the knot in July 2022. But unlike some of the Emmerdale stars, Sally and Joe prefer that their characters don’t interact much. Sally previously admitted it “would be horrendous” to work on a storyline with Joe because “he’s too funny.”
Anthony Cotton and Peter Eccleston
- Sean Tully may have been unlucky in love on the cobbles, but in real life Antony’s met his Prince Charming. The soap star started dating long-term partner Peter in 2005, after they met when he was working as an assistant props buyer on Corrie.
Jane Danson and Robert Beck
- Corrie favourite Jane Danson tied the knot with soap star Robert Beck in 2005. The actress, who plays Leanne Battersby, shares two children, Harry and Sam, with the former Brookside star. During their marriage, Robert has also done a stint in Weatherfield playing criminal Jimmy Dockerson.
Caroline Harding and Chris Gascoyne
- Chris, who played pub landlord Peter Barlow, married soap star Caroline in 2002. Although she is best known as an Emmerdale star, Caroline did visit her husband at work when she did a two-episode stint as doctor on the Manchester soap in 2020. The couple share a daughter called Belle, plus two children, Pip and Freddie from Caroline’s previous marriage.
Nadine Mulkerrin and Rory Douglas Speed
- Nadine Mulkerrin, and Rory Doulas Speed are known for their Hollyoaks alter egos Cleo McQueen and Joel Dexter. The loved-up pair got engaged on a December 2018 trip to Amsterdam – just over a year after they announced they were dating. They now share two kids, Reggie and Dougie.
Sophie Austin and Shayne Ward
- Former Hollyoaks star Sophie, whose best known for playing villain Lindsay Butterfield, was introduced to singer and ex-Corrie star Shayne through mutual friends. She gave birth to their daughter Willow in December 2016 and they welcomed a son in 2022.
Taking to Facebook, one fan wrote: “I remember him from Corrie I think, didn’t know at the time they were together.”
Another added: “How come I recognise him?!”
A third penned: “Toby Hafoka! He’s an actor/writer/standup comedian.”
The Coronation Street star has previously spoken out about the harrowing abuse she has suffered from ignorant people for simply being disabled.
Cherylee posted about how she felt when she heard a slur shouted by a person in a passing car while out and about in Manchester, where the ITV soap is filmed.
She called them out on X – formerly Twitter – commenting that attitudes towards disabled people had gone backwards in recent years.
She wrote: “Just had some delightful ableism shouted at me out of a car window “Coronation Street Cabbage”
“Have we gone back 20 years, they were young men. This isn’t for sympathy. This is for awareness of how prevalent disability hate is.”
Viewers supported her, with one saying: “It feels like as a society we make a few steps forward and then take many steps back. How disappointing.”
Another said: “Everything has gone backwards it seems, racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia. People have become brazen. Sorry you experienced this. Awful.”
Another added: “The respect for disabled people feels very thin on the ground right now. I’m sorry they chose to abuse you. Thank you for speaking out and I hope you are ok. But I honestly think Corrie writers could do worse than writing that into a line for you as an epic comeback.”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX.
Cherylee was overwhelmed at the outpouring of support from fans[/caption]
