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Coronation Street’s Claire Peacock was a Weatherfield regular for eight years before she left the cobbles for France.

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Coronation Street’s Claire Peacock left the soap 15 years ago this week – but where is the actress Julia Haworth now?

Claire made her debut on the long-running ITV soap way back in 2003, as Ashley Peacock’s (Steven Arnold) new nanny for his son Joshua. And it wasn’t long before Claire fell for her employer and married into the Peacock family, taking up a permanent role on the cobbles.

During her stint on the show, she was involved in several big moments, including her heartbreaking postnatal depression battle after giving birth to their son Freddie. Claire also had to deal with the tragic death of Ashley in 2010, when he was killed during the soap’s 50th anniversary involving the infamous tram crash.

However, in January 2011, Claire said her goodbyes to the street when she swapped Weatherfield for France. But where is the actress who played her now?

Why did Julia leave Coronation Street?

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In 2010, Coronation Street’s newest producer at the time Phil Collinson decided not to renew Steven and Julia’s contracts, leading to Ashley and Claire’s on-screen exit. In a statement, Phil said: “Ashley and Clare Peacock have been part of the fabric of Weatherfield for many years but like any community, people come and go.

“Both actors and myself felt that we had reached a crossroads with the characters, to the point that as actors they were not being fulfilled and stories were harder to find.

“We mutually decided to start working towards an exit for the Peacock family, giving the actors the chance to explore new opportunities and for us to devise a dramatic exit storyline. I wish Steven and Julia, and of course the young boys who play [sons] Josh and Freddie, all the best for the future.”

What has Julia been in since Corrie?

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Since leaving Coronation Street, Julia has continued her successful acting career, appearing many TV shows. She played Laura Wade on rival soap BBC ’s Doctors from 2018 to 2019 and also had a role in the ITV drama The Bay in its second series.

Julia also starred alongside Liz Hurley in American drama The Royals and played Doris Owen in season 10 of beloved BBC drama Call the Midwife in 2021. And more recently, portrayed Pamela Parks in the BBC show A Kind Of Spark.

Julia and husband Jon

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Soap star Julia is married to accountant Jon Wormald. The pair met in 2003 and according to Julia, it was love at first sight.

“I remember looking at Jon and thinking he was gorgeous and that I could marry him. I’d never experienced that before, but I just knew it was absolutely right,” she told People in 2008.

Going from strength to strength, Julia and Jon tied the knot in 2006 at St Stephen’s Church, in Burnley. Julia’s Coronation Street co-stars attended the wedding too including Steven, Kate Ford – who plays Tracy Barlow – and Leanne Battersby star Jane Danson. In 2008, Julia gave birth to a daughter and their second daughter was born in 2013.

Julia’s inspiring teaching job

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**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website**

In 2018, Julia put her acting experience and knowledge to good use, revealing she was planning on getting a teaching qualification at Bolton College to inspire future actors.

“As an actor still working professionally within the entertainment industry, the knowledge and skills I am teaching to the Performing Arts students here at Bolton College are 100 per cent up to date, accurate and relevant,” she told The Bolton News.

Julia added: “This is imperative in a rapidly changing industry and in helping the learners with their future employability.”

In her role, Julia helped budding actors develop their acting skills, as well produce their own show reels and offer advice on auditions and life on a TV set.

The Queen icon’s ‘secret’ daughter, known only as B, has died – but evidence suggests Freddie knew of her existence

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Freddie Mercury’s ‘secret’ daughter has died at the age of 48. But while Freddie never publicly confirmed a child’s existence whilst he was alive, it’s thought the Queen icon did indeed know about his daughter.

The late frontman’s father left a will which explicitly excluded any illegitimate children which the star might have had.

In August 2025, public records indicated that Freddie’s dad, Bomi, who died in 2003, included a provision in his will that ‘legitimate or legitimated and adopted children are part of the will, but that any illegitimate children are not provided for.’

The ‘secret’ child, known only as B, was revealed ahead of the release of a bombshell book titled Love, Freddie last year. The lovechild spoke to author and music journalist Lesley-Ann Jones to reveal her link to the rock star – but her real name and identity were never made public.

READ MORE: Heartbreaking reason Freddie Mercury’s daughter couldn’t prove identity before she diedREAD MORE: ‘I made Queen into stars – and then they wrote nasty hate mail about me’

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From 1987, the Family Law Reform Act meant that a child born to unmarried parents could enjoy the same legal rights as those born to married parents, including in matters of inheritance. Experts explained that this was the reason why as to why Freddie’s father made the amendment to his will in 2001, two years before his death.

News of Freddie’s ‘hidden’ daughter’s death was confirmed by her family, who said she died “peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer, leaving two sons aged nine and seven”.

A statement from her widower, named Thomas, added to the Daily Mail: “B is now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts. Her ashes were scattered to the wind over the Alps.”

Meanwhile, Lesley-Ann Jones, who penned the book, shared her heartbreak over the news as she told the publication: “I am devastated by the loss of this woman who became my close friend, who had come to me with a selfless aim: to brush aside all those who have had free rein with Freddie’s story for 32 years, to challenge their lies and their rewriting of his life, and to deliver the truth.”

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Lesley-Anne also added: “At the end of her life, it was all that mattered to her. She was very ill throughout the 4 years that we worked together. But she was on a mission. She put herself and her own needs last.”

Last year, the author revealed Freddie had secretly fathered a child during an affair in 1976. She said at the time: “Having spent a quarter of a century researching and writing books about Freddie Mercury , and having covered Queen’s performances on the road, I thought I knew virtually all that there was to know about him. I was wrong. Working with his only child and next of kin over several years to create the book that tells his true story in his and his daughter’s own words has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. I could never have imagined this hidden Freddie. Yet he was real.”

Meanwhile, in the light of her death Lesley-Ann has revealed more details about the rock icon’s secret daughter, claiming he called her ‘Bibi’ and wrote several songs about her. It has also been claimed Freddie would also name her ‘trésor’, which translates into treasure from French, as well as his ‘little froggie’.

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Queen’s songs Don’t Try So Hard and Bijou are said to have been written about his secret lovechild, whom the singer is said to have had a close bond with up until he died.

We Will Rock You star Freddie is said to have fathered his daughter after a brief, unexpected liaison in 1976 with the wife of one of Mercury’s close friends. While the child was as closely-guarded secret a select few knew the truth including his parents, sister, bandmates and longtime confidante Mary Austin.

While Freddie’s daughter’s identity wasn’t made public some details about her were revealed – including the fact she lived in Europe, was a healthcare professional and had two children. As her link to Freddie was explosively revealed, she detailed how she was raised by a loving family but always knew the music icon was her dad. Before he died of pneumonia caused by Aids in 1991, Freddie gave his daughter 17 volumes of his personal journals.

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His daughter had kept them a secret for years but later handed them over to Jones, which formed the basis of the bombshell book.

Freddie was extremely private throughout his life and only announced the day before he died that he had been diagnosed with AIDS – after making a number of public appearances in the 12 month prior looking increasingly ill. Freddie had a number of relationships with men and women, including Mary Austin.

They met when she was 19 and he was 24, a time before his mega stardom. The couple lived together and were engaged before Freddie came out as gay. Freddie and Mary never had any children but Mary went on to have two sons with another partner while remaining close to the singer for the rest of his life. She is understood to have known about Freddie’s daughter.

For the book, Love Freddie, ‘B’ issued a handwritten letter, which read: ” Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life.”

“He adored me and was devoted to me. The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people’s standards, unusual and even outrageous.

“That should come as no surprise. It never detracted from his commitment to love and look after me. He cherished me like a treasured possession.”

Music journalist and Love Freddie author Lesley-Ann also revealed at the time that she had been approached by B three years before the book’s release, but had her reservations at first. She said: “My instinct was to doubt everything, but I am absolutely sure she is not a fantasist.”

As Kid Rock celebrates his 55th birthday this week, we take a look back at his marriage to Pamela Anderson, which lasted just four months. The pair married on July 29, 2006, aboard a yacht near Saint-Tropez, France

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Pamela Anderson’s most iconic marriage is usually considered to be her partnership with Tommy Lee, the drummer of Mötley Crüe, which lasted between 1995-1998. However, you may not know that the Baywatch icon actually wed musician Kid Rock back in 2006 too – with the marriage lasting just four months.

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock, born Robert James Ritchie, first began dating in 2001 and got engaged in April 2002, however that engagement ended in 2003. They later rekindled their relationship and married on July 29, 2006, aboard a yacht near Saint-Tropez, France. The marriage was extremely short-lived — Anderson filed for divorce in November 2006, about four months later, citing irreconcilable differences.

Anderson has spoken about the marriage Rock more reflectively and with some self-awareness in recent years.

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In interviews promoting her memoir and documentary, Anderson made a damning confession as she said she realised “right when I got married” that things probably wouldn’t work out between them, because she didn’t feel the deep connection she had with her first husband, Tommy Lee.

She admitted she may have been trying to “numb the pain” of her earlier breakup and build a family unit for her sons, but ultimately she wasn’t in love in the way she expected and had “nothing in common” with the marriage long-term.

In her memoir she recounts an incident at a Borat screening where Kid Rock got very angry over a reference to a leaked sex tape from her past, reportedly storming out and yelling at her, which she reflects on as part of how their differences became apparent.

After the incident was talked about on Reddit, many people admitted they didn’t even know the pair had been married.

One person said: “Today I learned that Kid Rock and Pam Anderson were married.”

While another asked: “Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson were married?”

Despite Pamela’s comments on the marriage, she has also said she looks back on their time fondly in some ways, recalling that they had fun and that Kid Rock treated her children well.

Kid Rock, who turns 55 this week, is more blunt when he comments about their short-lived marriage. In interviews, including with Piers Morgan, the country star described the experience of getting married as a “blast,” and said it was “some of the most fun” he ever had.

At the same time, he’s often quipped that while the wedding and the experience were exciting, “being married sucks,” and he indicated he learned enough from it that, at least at the time, he didn’t plan to marry again.

In that same interview, he stated he didn’t regret marrying her even if it didn’t last.

The two have not been publicly close since their split; Anderson has said they don’t speak, and Kid Rock’s public focus moved on to other long-term relationships.

Since Kid Rock, Pamela has been married to professional poker player Rick Salomon between 2007-2008, as well as between 2014-2015.

Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe made the decision to take a step back from the spotlight since the couple split up in 2000 after they had been married for four years

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Since splitting from Michael Jackson, Debbie Rowe became a recluse. The American nurse, who was the second wife of the controversial pop star, stepped back from the limelight and has maintained a peaceful life in the years since Jackson’s death.

Debbie is the mother of Michael’s children, Prince, 28, and Paris, 27. The musician was also the father of Bigi ‘Blanket’, 23, who was born via a surrogate – although his mother was never publicly identified.

Jackson, who died in 2009 from cardiac arrest, caused by a fatal drug overdose, has been surrounded by rumours that he’s not actually the father of any of his three children.

Debbie, who met Jackson while working at the dermatology office where he was being treated for vitiligo, has always insisted her ex-husband impregnated her artificially with his sperm.

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When they first met, Debbie suggested she could give Michael children, which was later confirmed by his first ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley. In 2003, Lisa told Playboy that Debbie “had a crush on him” and wanted to give birth to his children.

The pair married in 1996 during a secret ceremony in Sydney before splitting four years later. After the two parted ways, Debbie retreated from life in public and lives a very different lifestyle from Paris and Prince who have embraced their fame.

However, in 2022, Debbie returned to the limelight, taking part in the TMZ investigative documentary, Who Really Killed Michael Jackson, and said she felt “partly to blame” for his death. Debbie became emotional as she opened up about her regret for not doing more to help the musician through his addiction to painkillers.

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Michael died at his home in Los Angeles with his doctor Conrad Murray jailed for involuntary manslaughter after giving him medication. Debbie said in the documentary: “I was basically as bad as him, and I am so sorry I participated in it.” The admission left Jackson’s relatives “dumbfounded”, with sources claiming that she had “never” spoken with members of the family about Michael since he died. In 2016, Debbie announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. And while the diagnosis may have been devastating, it helped her rebuild her relationship with estranged daughter Paris after their bond had deteriorated over the course of a year.

“She’s my rock, she’s been amazing,” Debbie said on Entertainment Tonight about Paris. She added: “She’s been with me the whole time. She was there. First phone call, [it] took her 30 seconds [to reach out] when she found out.”

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Debbie had allegedly been sidelined by Paris, who refused to answer her mother’s calls. But in 2017, Paris was on hand to help her mum through her chemotherapy treatment.

In recent weeks, Michael Jackson has once again hit the headlines following rumours that he is not the father of his third child, Bigi – previously known as Blanket.

Instead, friends of the singer believe that legendary actor Marlon Brando may have donated sperm to conceive Bigi, leaving Michael to raise him.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source said: “It has all kicked off within the wider Jackson estate quite recently, with [siblings] Paris and Prince being told of this development.

“It is all very strange, but the pieces of the puzzle seem to all add up. Everyone is trying to get their heads around it.” And while there had been speculation that Michael might not be Prince or Paris’ father, due to the children having fair skin like their mother.

Addressing the paternity row in 2003, Jackson said: “I used a surrogate mother [for Blanket] and my own sperm cells. I had my own sperm cells in my other two children. They are all my children.”

A contributor on This Morning has revealed that she’s had major surgery after a tube in her brain broke, terrifyingly meaning that her skull was ‘filling up with water’

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Life coach Michelle Elman, an expert who is called upon regularly for her expertise on ITV’s This Morning, revealed her shocking health battles over the ‘complex’ medical issue on social media.

Explaining that she needed surgery last November, she revealed she had a new cyst on her brain and a magnet that needs replacing.

Michelle was born with the condition hydrocephalus, which creates an excess of cerebrospinal fluid, and doctors later found out that she had also been born with a brain tumour. The magnet aids control of the flow of the fluid.

READ MORE: Alison Hammond fans desperate to know where to buy her Kate Middleton-inspired dress

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The TV star explained on Instagram that sadly she was back in hospital after undergoing ‘complex’ surgery, as she shared snaps of herself in bed, with her head covered in bandages.

Michelle revealed she had had to have the ‘high risk’ operation to fix a tube that had been put inside her skull to control fluid.

Charting her latest health battles, she wrote alongside the post: “They discovered the tube in my brain was broken – and that wasn’t even the part they were fixing.

“Now I’m just sat here wondering how I wrote a whole f**king book with my brain filling with water for years?!?! I’ve been on live TV and radio multiple times?! Absolute madness. Might explain some of my other questionable life choices!”

She added: ‘If one more person keeps telling me I’m a “complex case”, “extremely unique” or “unheard of”, my brain might actually explode! ‘I’m only accepting the terms “medical miracle” from now on.’

Explaining in more detail the surgery she had, Michelle continued, ‘The actual surgery they were doing was actually a choice between a higher risk or lower risk.

“There was a chance the high risk would just result in me being opened for nothing and having a new scar for s**ts and gigs. I took the higher risk and it paid off. Who needs the high from gambling when you can play roulette with your life?!”

Last week, the TV contributor asked fans from her bed to help her ‘pretend she’s not in hospital’ as she continues to ‘make content’ for them online.

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She added at the time, “This is three months of symptoms now, I’ve been in and out of hospital for over a month, and I am bored – and January is one of the best months of TV stuff, and obviously a lot of my content is TV.

“Since I’m lying in a hospital bed, all alone and watching all these shows anyway, I want to be making the content I want to be making.

“After the experience I’ve had the last three months, especially because it was brain surgeries and and affecting how my brain functioned, if I have a brain, I want to be able to use it.

“My body might not be the sharpest right now, but my brain still works, and that has taken over a month to get to that point.

“I’m not allowed to lift up my head because I have a tube draining my brain right now, and because I have tubes coming out of my body, it’s also quite hard to get dressed. We’ll do our best to conserve our modesty, but other than that, my brain is working so I’m going to use it.

“This is me at my worst, and that’s OK, because what I have to say is more important and we’re going to just keep making content and ignore the fact I’m in a hospital bed.

Back in November, Michelle documented the appointments she was having with doctors, telling followers she was due for yet another surgery, after undergoing an MRI scan.

Obviously struggling, she wrote on Instagram, “My life has been high highs and low lows atm and this morning was a miserable one with lots of bad news that I’m not prepared to deal with.”

She later penned, “Yesterday I found out I need another brain surgery. I have a cyst in my brain again and also the magnet in my brain needs replacing.

“It’s not urgent but it is needed so now I have to figure out when to schedule this so it disrupts my life as little as possible.

“Inevitably I will have to pause my life and go deal with this, likelihood it will be next year, but until then it’s business as usual.”

Her health battles have been long fought – as the presenter has had 15 surgeries until the age of 20, including operations to fix an obstructed bowel and punctured intestine.

Back in 2018, she appeared on Loose Women – opening up dramatically on how it felt to ‘die’ after she flat-lined following brain surgery, aged 11.

She told the Loose presenters she recalled ‘floating’ above her bed, as she attempted to reassure people that it wasn’t as scary as they might think.

She revealed, “What’s really nice to know is it’s a really calm sensation when you die, and that’s what I’d like to tell people because it gives you a bit solace that even in the last moments it’s really peaceful and really calm.

“In my head it was five minutes but apparently it was a few seconds. I remember everything that happened but apparently my eyes were closed.I didn’t talk about it for years but it makes me sound a bit crazy.”