Coronation Street fans watched as Toyah Battersby found out the mother of all secrets this week - that her cheating partner Imran Habeeb is the father of Abi Webster's baby boy. The Underworld worker and councillor tore strips off the solicitor after finding out the news from Abi's husband Kevin. He found the birth certificate for baby Alfie at Abi's flat and quickly left before informing Toyah who was heading to an adoption meeting with Imran about Elsie, the little girl they have been fostering.
It's fair to say Toyah has been left heartbroken by the revelation and it's not the first time she has faced trials and tribulations on the Corrie cobbles.
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Georgia Taylor made her debut in the ITV soap as Toyah at just 17-years-old back in 1997 along with Janice and Les Battersby and Les's daughter Leanne when it was announced the 'family from hell' were to be introduced to the hit soap to draw up some trouble.
Soon into her arrival in Weatherfield, Toyah fell for eco-warrior Spider Nugent but when he quit his job at the DSS and went to India, Toyah stayed behind. Georgia's character was also at the centre of a harrowing storyline when she was raped by former neighbour Phil Simmonds.
Toyah left the Street in 2003 after finding out that her boyfriend John Arnley had cheated on her with her best friend Maria Sutherland leading Georgia to take on a few other acting roles. The actress, from Wigan, joined the cast of Casualty as doctor Ruth Winters in 2007 and she was a series regular until 2011. She also made appearances in Where the Heart is, Law and Order: UK and Life on Mars.
In 2005 she took to the stage at the Royal Court in London alongside Helen Baxendale for The Woman Before along with performing in Christmas is Miles Away at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and Bush Theatre, London.
But not many people will know that Georgia also bagged herself a few movie roles. According to the Daily Star Her film career has seen her working alongside Dominic Cooper in the 2006 movie History Boys and Jason Statham in 2008 for The Bank Job.
Then, in September 2016 after a 13-year absence, Toyah's comeback to the cobbles was announced and she made an explosive return at Christmas when it was revealed that she had left her husband of five years Toby Chapman for Peter Barlow, Leanne's ex-husband.
In 2017, Toyah and alcoholic Peter bought the Rovers Return together and became the pub's new landlords. She longed to become a mother with Peter, but failed to get pregnant with IVF and their surrogate Jacqui Ainsworth sadly miscarried. Keeping the tragedy a secret from Peter, Toyah struck a deal with Eva Price to pass off her newborn daughter Susie as the baby Jacqui had carried. But when the guilt became overwhelming she handed the baby back and Peter ended their relationship.
As for Georgia's love life, it's a lot less complicated than that of the character she plays. The 42-year-old star's long-term partner is fellow actor Mark Letheren. He played journalist Simon Kitson in the ITV drama The Bill and played counsellor Ben Harding in BBC One's Casualty. He also had a recurring role as DS Kevin Geoffries in the ITV crime drama Wire in the Blood.
But it was on the set of Casualty where love is reported to have blossomed and is where the pair met in 2008. Mark is now a photographer and regularly shares his work to his Instagram page. And Georgia also shows her support for her partner's impressive photography skills.
Back in February Georgia took to Instagram with some snaps from her romantic getaway with her other half with the first showing her wrapped up warm in a beanie hat, scarf and coat as the rain fell down onto her umbrella. "Brief, but illuminating, weekend with my love @markletheren @tyntesfieldnt The boy takes a good snap," she said to her thousands of followers.
But it's not very often she shares pictures with Mark and the last time appeared to be back in October 2021 when the pair enjoyed a stunning break in Ullswater in the Lake District. The series of holiday snaps also featured a couple of selfies of the loved-up pair. In one Georgia and Mark, who live together in Bristol, looked a bit windswept as they got to grips with the changeable weather but both were grinning for the camera as they posed for the adorable couple photos.
Another thing fans may not know is that Georgia is not actually called Georgia at all. Her name when she was born was chosen as Claire Jackson - but that all changed when she joined Corrie back in 1997. "It's not that I planned this to happen," she previously told the Mirror. "But when I started with Coronation Street I had to register with Equity, the actors’ union, and at the time there seemed to be a hell of a lot of Claires so I had to think of something else."
She added: "I couldn’t tell you where I got Georgia from, other than I liked it, but my grandad’s surname was Taylor and he passed away not long before I got the part. As a teenager I didn’t really think the consequences through of opting for a completely different name, but it’s meant there’s been quite a bit of confusion over the years. At this point I’ll pretty much answer to anything!"
Georgia still goes by Claire on her passport, and to her mum Caroline Jackson. But the actress also revealed that about half the cast and crew at Corrie call her Claire, while the rest know her as Georgia.
"It was a few weeks into the job before I was able to change my name so to everyone there at the time I was Claire Jackson, although I was Georgia Taylor in the credits. Then when I left in 2003 I went out into the world as a jobbing actress, and everyone called me Georgia. That was the case for years and years, and some of my very best friends call me Georgia.
"I met Mark [Letheren] as Georgia. But back to Coronation Street five years ago and there were still loads of the cast and crew who’d known me before as Claire, so I was back to Claire again for them while the people I hadn’t known me before called me Georgia.
"It's pretty funny when I introduce myself to people. Anyone who recognises me from Corrie thinks of me as Toyah, and then I say ‘I’m Georgia, but I’m also Claire, so really call me whatever you like’."
