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Wales Online
Lifestyle
Cathy Owen

Channel 4 Hollyoaks' Joe McGann separates from wife Tamzin after 16 years

Former Hollyoaks actor Joe McGann has split with his wife of 16 years but gone on to find love with another woman, it has been reported.

Joe, who played Charlie Burrows in the comedy series The Upper Hand, married his wife Tamzin McGann in 2006. But, it now seems that their marriage has been over for some time, reported The Mirror. Joe, 63, has been sharing a series of snaps of himself looking smitten with national campaigner Frances Molloy over the course of the past year.

The mother successfully campaigned to ban old tyres from lorries, buses and coaches after her son Michael, 18, was killed on his way home from the Bestival music festival in 2012.

Tyres aged ten years and older are now banned from lorries, buses and coaches on roads in England, Scotland and Wales.

Although yet to publicly comment on the breakdown of his marriage, Joe's social media posts would suggest things are going well with new love Frances - whom he refers to as "my one" and his "soulmate" in sweet Instagram snaps.

It's been reported that the actor and the inspirational campaigner fell for each other during the first lockdown in 2020.

Joe McGann and his new partner (Instagram)

In January 2021, Joe paid tribute to his new partner's campaigning and dubbed her "the greatest human being" he knows.

"This woman changes Law," the former soap star began a caption of himself with the inspirational mother. "I couldn’t be prouder of Frances. Even after the most devastating of losses, and opposed with tortuous bureaucracies, she spoke truth to power."

He continued: "Always dignified, steely elegant, as fearless as she is tireless in pursuit of truth and fairness. What a mother, what a woman."

A smitten Joe sweetly concluded: "My soulmate, the greatest human being I know."

In additional pictures, balloons featuring Frances' Tyred campaign's logo can be seen by a bench in honour of the activist's late son.

Speaking in 2020, Joe confirmed he had begun "an entirely unexpected love affair" with law-changing Frances.

Chatting to Silver Magazine, the actor discussed his family set-up and said: "Well there’s Mum and me, and Minnie the dachshund, and there’s also the amazing Frances…

"You see, before the plague descended, I had met and fallen for Frances, and we were in the very early days of a new – and in both our cases – entirely unexpected love affair.

"Frances has one of her sons living at her house, and after discussion we decided that, if we were to see each other at all, and with other considerations, it would be best if she – and her son – isolated with me. What could possibly go wrong?

"In truth, what some friends were calling a baptism of fire has been – pretty much – one long and enjoyable episode of Bake Off/Masterchef, with honours going mostly to Frances."

Joe is older brother to Paul, Mark and Stephen McGann, all actors themselves known for programmes including Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and The Hanging Gale, in which all four appeared together.

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