CORONATION Street fans across the UK know and love hapless mechanic Tyrone Dobbs, who’s been a staple on the show for the best part of three decades.
Here we get to know the actor who plays him — Alan Halsall.
Who is Alan Halsall?
Alan is a 41-year-old English actor who is best known for playing Tyrone in Corrie.
However, before he landed that role, he also had many parts in 90s TV shows like Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and Queer As Folk.
He also appeared in the CITV four-part series Matt’s Million.
In 2013, Alan won the National Television Award for Outstanding Serial Drama Performance for his role on Coronation Street.
READ MORE ON SOAPS
Alan was forced to pull out of I’m A Celebrity in late 2023 and take time off from Corrie after a major knee operation.
He is thought to have injured himself while exercising and had reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament surgery in November.
Alan has daughter Sienna, aged ten, with his ex-wife — the former Corrie and Hollyoaks actress Lucy-Jo Hudson, 40.
When did Alan Halsall first join Coronation Street?
Alan joined Corrie in 1998 and lived with the Duckworths.
This means he has been a firm fixture on the cobbles for the last 26 years.
He has been involved in many dramatic storylines, including becoming a victim of domestic abuse and having his children taken away from him.
Does Alan Halsall have a girlfriend?
Alan confirmed his romance with his former Corrie co-star Tisha Merry in May 2019, following months of speculation that they were a couple.
They were yoga buddies before they starting dating — they got together after Tisha left Corrie.
At 31 years old, Tisha is 10 years younger than Alan.
The soap stars went public with their romance when they shared a snap of them kissing at Sam Aston’s wedding to Briony Gardner in Cheshire in May 2019.
She moved into Alan’s home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, soon after.
In 2020, Tisha told OK!: “It’s nice we built a strong foundation before anything romantic.”
And there were reports that the pair wanted to have a child together in July 2020.
The couple were co-parenting Alan’s then six-year-old daughter Sienna — whom he shares with ex Lucy-Jo Hudson.
They [Alan and Tisha] started to drift apart and feel the pressure of making their relationship work get on top of them
A source
In another interview with OK!, Alan said to Tisha: “You always talk to each other about your aspirations, don’t you?
“What you’d like in terms of family, etc. We’ve never had a proper serious sit down but we’ve discussed the future together.”
Tisha realised she wanted kids with Alan after showering her boyfriend with praise for his parenting skills.
She said: “He’ll be so amazing. When we were still friends, I got asked to babysit and asked Alan to come along.
“We got there and it was just Alan babysitting. He’s such a good dad; he’s so caring and loving.
“He notices everything and his communication with Sienna is so strong. I would love that for our child if we have one.”
But at the start of 2024, the couple split up after five years together.
Who is Tisha Merry?
The 31-year-old English actor has appeared in a number of TV shows, such as 32 Brinkburn Street (2011) and Princess Mirror-Belle (2022).
Tisha, who has removed all photos of Alan from her Instagram account, was also cast in BBC medical soap Doctors in September 2023.
She has two sisters named Neve and Alissa, and is from Leyland, Northampton — where she attended Runshaw College.
Tisha played Steph Britton on ITV’s Coronation Street from 2013-2017, with a brief return stint in 2018.
Her character left to live in Portugal after her on-screen brother Luke was murdered by twisted killer Pat Phelan.
She previously said leaving the soap was the “best thing” that happened to her and launched her YouTube channel in 2020.
But Tisha did say she would be open to returning, revealing: “I didn’t leave to never go back.
“Like I said, I left for a little break. Corrie was, hands down, the best years of my life.”
Although best known for her 316-episode stint in Coronation Street, Tisha is a versatile performer who has also appeared in movies.
She featured in the 2013 movie Talma Rose, taking on the role of Candi — one of three girls singing in a Mowtown band.
Why did Tisha Merry and Alan Halsall break up?
On February 16, 2024, a source close to the pair told The Sun on Sunday the exact reason they called it a day: “Alan and Tisha had a lot of love for each other and had really similar interests, enjoying socialising and going on holiday together.
“But they started to drift apart and feel the pressure of making their relationship work get on top of them. They realised they weren’t on the same page and splitting up felt like the best option.
“They’ve been focusing on themselves and surrounding themselves with their own friends.
“Tisha moved out of Alan’s home around a month ago and is throwing herself into work.”
When did Alan Halsall and Lucy-Jo Hudson break up?
Lucy and Alan split in 2018.
They initially called time on their marriage in March 2016 before rekindling their romance just months later.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
They met on the set of Corrie when Lucy-Jo joined as Katy Harris in 2002 and began dating in 2004, before marrying in 2009.
Since divorcing, they have been co-parenting their daughter Sienna.
