Corrie's Sarah Platt's real-life - 'dark days', feud with ex and true love

23 August 2023 , 18:00

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Tina's real life is very different from Sarah's (Image: Getty Images)

Coronation Street fans will know that over the years Sarah Platt has been through a lot, from a teenage pregnancy to the death of her boyfriend. And that's on top of turbulent relationships, almost getting killed by her stepfather and enduring a tragic stillbirth.

The character has been played by Tina O'Brien since 1999. The 40-year-old was born in Manchester and began acting at an early age, appearing in Children's Ward and The Cops as a child. She joined Corrie at the age of 16 and quickly became a fixture of the show, winning best storyline for the plot involving her teen pregnancy with Bethany Platt.

Off-camera, Tina's own life hit the headlines when she started dating her on-screen boyfriend Bruno Langley, who played Todd. The pair split after a year of romance, and a short while later, Tina struck up a romance with another co-star, Ryan Thomas, who played Bruno's on-screen brother Jason.

Tina is best known for playing Sarah Platt

The pairing came as a surprise to some on set and Tina previously admitted she was nervous about how people would react. "It was five months later when I got together with Ryan and I was worried about it as he's a friend of Bruno," she told The Mirror in 2007. "But we worked hard to make sure there wasn't any tension between the three of us. It was very, very hard because I liked him. We both tried to fight it. We must have really liked each other because we did it anyway, it was quite natural," she continued, revealing she got together with Ryan after kissing him on a night out in 2003.

Things soon got serious for the couple and they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Scarlett, in 2008. However, just one year later, Ryan and Tina split, and the actress claimed he announced their breakup by telling her she 'didn't do it for him anymore'. The TV star told new! magazine that Ryan had left her just one week before Scarlett's first birthday, leaving her 'absolutely devastated'. "He said he didn't love me anymore. He said I didn't do it for him anymore. Those were his words. He said he didn't want the responsibility of a relationship with me," she confessed.

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A decade on from their split, Tina opened up about her 'dark' time after the break-up, sharing how difficult it was to be a single mum and how she had suffered from 'bad' post-natal depression. Posting candidly on Instagram, she said: "I wish I could tell the scared and fragile Tina of 10 years ago it's going to be ok, you will get through this. I wish I'd had the confidence to ask for help. Life felt pretty dark for a little while. Luckily the dark days eventually lifted. I was then a single mum, times when absolutely no income was coming in. I'd be lying if I said it was easy."

Tina and daughter, Scarlett (WireImage)

The actress found happiness with Adam (WireImage)

Despite her struggles, Tina found happiness and love again with her husband, Adam Crofts, a business developer whom she married on New Year's Eve in 2018. They have a little boy, named Beau. The pair first met in 2011 and their romance was reportedly sparked by Scarlett when she went over to Adam while they were at a coffee shop. Tina told OK! Magazine: "He was working on his computer and Scarlett went over and said: Hello, man'. He told us his name was Adam and we got talking." The rest, as they say, is history.

Their special day took place in a room packed with Tina's Corrie co-stars, and ex-Ryan was even on the invite list. The pair married at a quirky boutique hotel in Manchester called the King Street Townhouse and both Beau and Scarlett played special parts in the ceremony. Speaking to OK! magazine Tina said: "Beau brought the ring box over. He was supposed to open it but he just handed it over. He did amazing considering he is only four! I think he was very proud of the part he played. Scarlett did really well, too. I was surprised she didn't snatch the microphone and start singing! They had the run of the whole hotel! I think Scarlett thought she was the queen [laughs]."

The actress went on to share how she was nervous about the wedding, adding: "I found the idea of everybody looking at me quite nerve-wracking. But I was just so happy to see Adam, Beau and Scarlett all dressed up. In the run-up to the wedding, Beau had been going into nursery and marrying all the girls in his class! All he talked about was us getting married. He got married to two girls one day. I don't think his brides realised he was a bigamist!"

Tina often gushes about her husband and has shared screenshots of their cute conversations on social media. In one picture, he sent her a message telling her she's 'amazing', to which she could be seen to reply: "You're more amazing, and you inspire me to be better bolder and braver." She followed up with: "One day I'll be as bad**s as you, but thank you for being my mentor without even knowing you are."

The couple also have a son, named Beau (Tina O’Brien/Instagram)

As well as parenting with Adam, the actress continues to co-parent Scarlett with Ryan, however, the pair have had some public spats in the years since their split, and one feud seemingly began when the actor shared some happy news on social media. In 2019, the actor and partner Lucy Mecklenburgh announced they were expecting a baby together, and in a video shared on Instagram, Ryan's daughter Scarlett could be seen crying as soon as the delighted couple confirmed the news.

While the former The Only Way Is Essex star insisted the youngster was crying 'happy tears', Tina hinted at a rumoured feud between the exes as she cryptically wrote on social media: "Don't always trust what you see on social media. Even salt looks like sugar." The Corrie star deleted the post, but replaced it with another mysterious quote, as she wrote: "Don't waste your time with explanations. People will hear what they want to hear."

But it seems the two have finally reached a good place, with Tina previously telling The Sun: "It's taken a lot of years and a lot of biting my tongue. Seriously, though, it's mainly down to Adam and Ryan. It helps that everyone has moved on and is in a happy place."

Courtney Pochin