Katherine Kelly's life with famous boyfriend as she plays Post Office villain

03 January 2024 , 11:49

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Katherine Kelly's life with famous boyfriend as she plays Post Office villain

British star Katherine Kelly, known for her real-life Barnsley roots, has made her comeback on screens much to the delight of ITV viewers.

Katherine, 44, has already mesmerised viewers in her TV new role in ITV's drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office. The ITV series airing this week depicts the actual events of the Post Office scandal. The unfortunate incident led to several sub postmasters facing prosecution due to a glitch within its Horizon system causing money to go missing.

The talented actress portrays Angela van den Bogerd - a previous head of partnerships at the Post Office before becoming a business improvement director. From 2010 onwards, Bogerd reportedly managed complaints about the system and participated in a working group addressing the crisis since 2014.

Katherine portrays Angela van den Bogerd - a previous head of partnerships at the Post Office

This isn't Katherine's first time acting in an ITV series inspired by true events. Last year, she played Emily Jackson in The Long Shadow and won critical claim for her performance. The thrilling series saw her character tragically become one of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe's victims.

Away from her life on-screen, Katherine lives a humble life despite her incredible talents. The star has spoken widely about her home life in Yorkshire, and felt she needed to take on the role in The Long Shadow given that it was so close to her heart - and the home where she grew up. As it turns out, Katherine actually grew up in terror-stricken Yorkshire during Sutcliffe's reign.

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Earlier this year, she told The Sun's TV Mag: "I grew up in Yorkshire in full knowledge of those five years of terror. It still lives within those people. It changed everything - it was indeed a long shadow. And it wasn't in an abstract way, it was day to day you went and met women from bus stops, and if a woman was 10 minutes late for work, it was panic."

"It left a scar on the landscape. The drama has been made with nuance and authenticity. I trust the team, I believe in the four years of research, and I do not take the responsibility of playing someone who existed lightly."

Katherine, who first became famous as Becky McDonald on Coronation Street, is now taking on serious roles that are very different from her early days on the soap. She joined Corrie in 2006 but bid farewell to the cobbles six years later in 2012 after being apart of many controversial and poignant storylines.

Katherine played Emily Jackson in The Long Shadow (ITV)

Born in Barnsley, Katherine grew up in South Yorkshire and has always stayed close to her roots, especially to the Lamproom Theatre where her dad was the boss. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she first appeared on TV in Last of the Summer Wine in 2003. Since then, she's been doing great, with roles in shows like Happy Valley and Liar.

Katherine tied the knot with Ryan Clark in 2013 in Las Vegas, and the pair share two daughters together. However, Katherine and digital analyst Ryan Clark made the 'difficult' decision to go their separate ways in April 2020 after seven years of marriage.

A spokesman said at the time: "Katherine and Ryan have made the difficult decision to separate. They see it as a positive move for both of them and the separation is completely amicable. Their children are their top priority and they will continue to co-parent as good friends."

Following their split, Katherine found love again with Tony Pitts from Line Of Duty. The couple first went public with their romance at the Dancing With Heroes ball at the Landmark Hotel in London in 2022. At the time, it was reported that Katherine and Tony had already been together for several months and had even met each other's friends and families before going public with their romance.

Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly has found love with Line Of Duty actor Tony Pitts (Can Nguyen/REX/Shutterstock)

Katherine has made her return to screens (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

A source told The Sun at the time: "They have kept their relationship out of the spotlight but have attended a number of events together this year including Royal Ascot and the ITV Palooza earlier this month. At the Dancing With Heroes ball Kelly couldn't keep her hands off Tony and was stroking the back of his head all evening.

"They have met one another's families and went on holiday together with their respective children earlier this year. Katherine is incredibly happy with Tony and it's clear they are a really good match."

Susan Knox