Jane Hazlegrove’s character Bernie Winter on Coronation Street has faced prison time for handling stolen goods, leading to an emotional early Christmas with her on-screen children.
Off the set, however, Hazlegrove is in a loving marriage with actress Isobel Middleton.
The 55 year old, who joined the cobbles as Bernie in 2019, enjoys a solid relationship away from the drama of Weatherfield. Her partner, Middleton, boasts her own connection to soapland having appeared in Emmerdale and the Harry Potter series.
Keeping their personal life discreet since their 2015 wedding, Hazlegrove gushed about Middleton while on Lorraine in 2019, pronouncing: “She’s sensational, a really beautiful woman. I am very obsessed.”
The actress even joked that their lasting 28-year bond might be thanks to not acting together, reports the Daily Star.
Though Hazlegrove and Middleton have yet to collaborate on camera, both have separately ventured into the world of soaps. Middleton brought diversity to Emmerdale with three different roles, including barrister Jean Rawson, who appeared in 2020, partaking in Simon McManus’ trial in 2018, and earlier as Dr Lane back in 2014.
EastEnders fans may recall her as Sadie Banks, and she has also voiced characters in the Harry Potter series. Jane’s extensive TV credits include London’s Burning, The Bill, Doctors, and Holby City, before landing her role on Coronation Street.
Jane and Isobel entered into a civil partnership in 2010, but initially, the Coronation Street actress was hesitant to formalise their relationship. In an interview with Metro, she revealed how her partner’s illness changed her perspective.
Jane recalled: “The reason we did it was because Isobel hadn’t been well.It became very clear that I wasn’t really allowed to know anything about how she was because we weren’t related, even though we’d lived together for 15 years.”
“It made me quite cross that I had no say in what happened to her. It all worked out fine, thankfully, but the morning after the civil partnership, I remember us saying over breakfast, ‘No-one can touch us now’.”
The couple’s relationship has continued to blossom, with a recent sighting of them wearing matching sunglasses on the Coronation Street bus during Manchester Pride.
