Emma Brooker has been one of Coronation Street's most beloved characters since she arrived on Weatherfield.
The hairdresser at Audrey's Salon has been played by actress Alexandra Mardell since 2018. The soap star has portrayed the character through some of the show's most central storylines as she has endured a traumatic time on Weatherfield.
Emma was set to marry Curtis Delamere last year, but their plans hit a stumbling block when she found out he had been lying about his life-threatening condition. Emma's woes only got worse when she attended a boozy New Year's Eve party to get over the relationship.
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She was picked up from the bash by her friend Faye Windass, but they accidentally ran over an elderly man named Ted on their way home. The two were initially relieved when Ted was seemingly unharmed from the incident, but later discovered he had died from his injuries.
They recruited PC Craig Tinker to help cover up their involvement in his death, but Emma has since become romantically involved with Ted's grandson, Jon. Emma tried to distance herself from Jon after he declared he loved her.
However, Jon recognised Craig at Emma's flat, which prompted her to confess the truth about what happened this week. Jon eventually forgave Emma over his grandad's death and she accepted his offer to move to Australia to start a new life together.
Alexandra's life away from Weatherfield is fortunately not quite as dramatic as her on-screen counterpart. The 28-year-old is in a happy relationship with fellow actor, Joe Parker, who has appeared as Archie Campbell in Doctors.
The two moved in together at the start of 2020 and have gone from strength-to-strength as they got engaged in April last year. Joe originally intended to propose in Paris, but coronavirus restrictions disrupted travel plans so he popped the question in their kitchen after a romantic meal.
Alexandra told OK! : "We’d finished dinner and were dancing to some Italian music. We started talking about how we’ve been really lucky in lockdown to have had such a nice time together when Joe disappeared. I thought he was going to the toilet, so I started doing the washing-up. When he came back he told me to leave the pans and asked me to dance again. Next thing I know he was down on one knee.
“I’m so excited, I think it’ll be lovely. It’ll be weird and nice to have the same name and to be able to call Joe my husband. I keep calling myself “Future Mrs Parker ”. It sounds so mature."
Alexandra has opened up in the past how she has a hole in her heart, which is known as a septal defect. This is a type of congenital heart disease, where there is a gap between two of the heart’s chambers - and Emma said she sometimes has difficulty breathing.
She told the Mirror : “I’ve been told that everyone is born with it and it’s meant to close up within the first year. In some cases, like mine, it doesn’t and that can cause problems. I sometimes get palpitations and difficulty with breathing. I have always had issues with my breathing when exercising, but I always thought that was just my general lack of fitness. It’s nice in a way to have a little bit of an excuse!
“Luckily, it hasn’t caused me any major problems so far. I need check-ups every five years and if there are issues in the future it’s something they are able to close up."
The majority of holes in the heart are considered mild defects and rarely need to be treated. However, if the hole is larger, or a patient suffers severe symptoms, surgery to close the hole is usually recommended.
Alexandra found out about her defect in tragic circumstances after her dad died at the age of 54 due to an undiagnosed heart condition. The soap star's dad, Michael, was suffering from cardiomypathy, which stops the heart pumping blood effectively around the body.
Cardiomypathy can be hereditary, which prompted Alexandra to get tested, but she found out she does not suffer with the condition. Alexandra's parents separated when she was younger, but she remained close to her father, who was a former semi professional footballer.
She said: “I was very much a Daddy’s girl. When my brother got older, a lot of the time it was just me and my dad, which is why we were so close.”
Emma Brooker was embroiled in a storyline where she was grieving the sudden death of her father shortly after Alexandra experienced the tragic loss in real life. She explained: "It was a coincidence, but because I planned a lot of my dad’s funeral myself, with the support of family and friends, I was able to grieve properly, so thankfully the storyline hasn’t negatively affected me.
“My experience has helped with my performance, because it’s meant I’ve been able to relate to the storyline – I know exactly how Emma is feeling."
Alexandra confirmed she was leaving Coronation Street in a statement issued in February. However, the soap star told Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary on This Morning that she informed Corrie bosses of her decision a year ago.
Alexandra also admitted she was delighted over the manner of her exit as Emma hasn't been killed off, which leaves the door open for her to one day return to Weatherfield. She said: "That was a relief. I'm happy about that."
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV and the ITV Hub
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