Antony Cotton is one of Coronation Street's most renowned faces and has been on the show for nearly 20 years.
The soap star has played Sean Tully on the Cobbles since 2003. The character was embraced into Eileen Grimshaw's family when he became the first male machinist at Underworld and has been a mainstay on the ITV show since.
Sean has endured a rollercoaster ride during his time on Weatherfield and one of his most dramatic storylines came when he agreed to impregnate Violet Wilson. This was under the condition that Sean wouldn't play a part in the child's upbringing, but he backtracked on the agreement when Dylan was born.
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Dylan has not been seen on the Cobbles since 2020, but the character is set to soon return to the Cobbles. Antony told the M.E.N earlier this year: "I have a great year ahead - Sean is going to finally get his son Dylan back home for a great run of storylines that will map out the next 12 months. There also may be some love on the horizon too…"
Sean's love interest made his long-awaited appearance on the Cobbles this week as Frank called into the Rovers and was clearly smitten with the Corrie favourite. Frank will be familiar to soap fans as he is played by Simon O'Brien, who portrayed Damon Grant in Brookside.
Antony, 46, signed a new contract last year and revealed he harbours no plans to quit the soap anytime soon. He told the Daily Star: "I’ve always said that if they’re happy for me to be there, then I’m happy to be there. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I feel that even more nowadays because some work is thin on the ground. I am very lucky to be in a job.”
Antony describes the Corrie cast as "one big family" and has spoken out about the many laughs he has behind the scenes. He once told the Mirror about a gaffe when he nearly "blew up the set".
He said: “I turned a microwave on during a scene but hadn’t realised the set designers had put a light in it to make it look like it was on. They had decided a working microwave would be too noisy. So I melted the light. I was like, ‘What’s that burning smell?’”
Away from the Cobbles, Antony enjoys a happy relationship with long term partner Peter Eccleston. The couple exchanged rings in 2010 to show their commitment to one another, but didn't have a civil ceremony.
Peter works as a prop buyer behind the scenes on Coronation Street and is the nephew of former Doctor Who star, Christopher Eccleston. Antony gushed over Peter during an interview with The Mirror and said he brings out his best side.
He added: "We are an incredible team. He is always looking out for me and protecting me when we're out, while I look after him at home."
Antony has previously spoken out how he was forced to call the police when he was the victim of online abuse. According to the Daily Star, he said: "This was before Twitter.
“There was this hateful forum on a website that just used to go on and on and on about me. I’m talking tens of thousands of messages from these vile trolls that would talk about me."
Antony was "upset" by the abusive messages before he received a call from iconic actor, Ian Mckellen. The soap star added: "He said, ‘What anybody else thinks of you is none of your business. Just think about that.’ And from that day forward I did it, I just stopped caring what people thought of me. He probably knew they were good lessons but he wasn’t doing it to teach me, but to show me the way.
“He’s told me some of the most profound things that I’ve ever been told, they’ve all come from him.”
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV and ITV Hub
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