Coronation Street Izzy actress' real-life husband is soap co-star - and fans are floored

Fans of Coronation Street were left astounded upon learning that Izzy Armstrong actress, Cherylee Houston, has a well-known partner off-screen.

Cherylee has been captivating audiences since 2010 when she first appeared as Kirk Sutherland's (played by Andy Whyment) love interest. Izzy quickly became a favourite among the show's dedicated viewers and has been at the heart of numerous impactful storylines on the cobbles.

These include her relationship with Gary (portrayed by Mikey North) and her two-month prison sentence in 2016. Yet it's only now that many fans have come to realise Cherylee's real-life husband is Toby Hadoke – also an actor.

Toby boasts roles in Emmerdale and Shameless, and featured in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, alongside running Manchester's XS Malarkey comedy club. In a twist of fate, Toby joined the Corrie cast in 2021 as Fergus, a compassionate neighbour to his actual spouse's character Izzy, championing disabled individuals' struggles during the pandemic.

Speaking about working with Cherylee, Toby previously expressed his admiration: "She's great as well. She's such a good actor. I think it's forgotten because she's so brilliant at bringing attention to the importance of disability representation, she's really good."

And it turns out, Toby's appearances in Coronation Street aren't new. Reflecting on his previous engagement with the show, he told fans, "If you delve into the archives you know, I once married Curly Watts. I was a vicar," He also revealed, "They wanted a young vicar at Curly Watts' wedding. If you go back it was about 747 years ago. That was just a one-off.", reports Leicestershire Live.

Fans of Corrie expressed their astonishment over Cherylee and Toby's relationship on a Facebook fan page dedicated to the show. Reacting to a picture of the couple, one fan queried: "How come I recognise him?" To which another detailed: "Toby Hafoka! He's an actor/writer/standup comedian."

Another supporter acknowledged their surprise: "I remember him from Corrie I think, didn't know at the time they were together." While yet another added, "Same! Think he was in Hollyoaks as well."

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX