Peter Barlow actor's life off-screen including booze battle and show exit
Coronation Street viewers were recently shocked after learning Peter Barlow (played by Chris Gascoyne ) was behind killer Stephen Reid's exit from the series.
Shocking scenes unfolded last night when the truth about Stephen (played by Todd Boyce ) came out. He rushed to the airport to quickly escape but was unaware Jenny had taken his passport. He had to return to the Cobbles to get the passport back, with real fears he could end up murdering others. In a huge twist, Peter ran Stephen over, killing him outright.
He had been growing increasingly frustrated over what Stephen had done to his partner Carla, drugging her with LSD to make her think she was paranoid and also stealing all the Underworld money. There was shock reeling across the whole of the Cobbles as Stephen's lifeless body lay on the floor.
Chris' character Peter has been a household name on the show for more than 23 years and has gone through many gripping storylines. However, the actor, 55, recently revealed he was leaving the long-running soap for a while to focus on taking on new roles in different projects.
His real life is worlds away from that of his dramatic character on the cobbles, with the star being part of a blended family as he is a stepfather to wife Caroline Harding's two children from a previous relationship. Here's what his life is like away from the gripping soap storylines...
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Real-life soap romance
Chris is married to Caroline Harding (carolinegascoyne/Instagram)
Chris has been on Coronation Street since 2000Chris tied the knot with Caroline in 2002. She is also a soap actor and starred in both Emmerdale as Dr Garrett and even had a number of smaller roles in Coronation Street.
The couple share one daughter together named Belle but Chris is also step-dad to Caroline's two other children from her past relationship with Line Of Duty star Jason Watkins. Before meeting Caroline, Chris had said that he'd never imagined being part of a blended family.
Speaking to Mirror Online, he once said: "If someone had said to me in my 20s that I'd have dated a divorced mum with kids, I would have said no way." He added: "But it kind of made me feel closer to her. It was a very real relationship very quickly. I saw this amazing strength in her and I loved her kids Freddie and Pip."
Real-life struggles
He used personal experiences to portray certain scenes (ITV)When the actor first joined Coronation Street, viewers were immediately in awe of him. And w hen his character started to spiral out of control due to his addiction to alcohol, it propelled him to become one of the nation's favourite characters, as his portrayal of an addict was so powerful.
According to Chris, he managed to use his own personal experiences and struggles with alcohol from his early years, which helped him portray that specific storyline. In 2010, Chris candidly told Mirror Online: "I've kind of been there myself - when I was younger I did used to drink an awful lot."
He continued: "I think you get seduced by it when you're a young actor. You're surrounded by a drinking culture and it's almost a romantic thing. Everywhere you go it's there. I still like a night out, but it had gone past that to a pointless place where I was looking always to seek oblivion in it."
"You come home and you're hungover and you get drinker's guilt. You feel depressed and ill and wonder what you've said to people," he added. "Then you vow never to do it again until it gets to opening time and then you think you'll have a drink and those feelings stop."
Chris said the struggle continued for around a decade before he realised he was "drinking for reasons that were no longer social." He said he was never an alcoholic but, like many people, had problems with alcohol. "Anything that affects your life or your judgement is a problem," he said.
Departure from soap
It was recently reported that Chris is leaving the showIt was reported in July that actor Chris was bowing out of the ITV soap for "an extended break", more than 20 years after he first appeared in the role. Instead of taking time to relax, the star is jumping straight into new projects and recently revealed he is set to play Captain Hook in The All New Adventures of Peter Pan at the Alban Arena between December 8-31.
Unable to hide their disappointment at Chris' latest bombshell, fans took to Twitter. One said: "It won't be the same on #corrie without Peter Barlow." Another added: "Ayyy Peter’s back! I’m making the most of it before he goes."
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Last month, Stu Carpenter actor Bill Fellows shared his sadness at Chris leaving the show. Confirming the departure, Bill exclusively told The Mirror he hoped to film with Chris ahead of his character Peter's departure from the show. He did not confirm when the exit would air but seemed to confirm at the time that actor Chris was still currently filming with the show.
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