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Georgia Taylor, famed for her role as Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street, has called it quits with fellow star Charlie de Melo after two years together. Despite their nine-year age difference, the couple's romance became public knowledge following Georgia's split from her previous partner, Mark Letheren, whom she met on Casualty.
After embarking on their relationship towards the end of 2022, Georgia and Charlie have chosen to go their separate ways a few months ago but remain close friends. The festive period saw them spending Christmas away from each other, with Georgia in the company of friends and co-stars.
Meanwhile, Charlie, known for his portrayal of Imran Habeeb in the soap, has been making waves with roles in Disney's Rivals and Doctor Who. Prior to Charlie, Georgia had been involved in a long-term 14-year affair with fellow actor Mark.
An insider told The Sun: "Georgia and Charlie are no longer a couple, but they remain friends who care about each other deeply. They have lots of happy memories together, but are both really focused on work at the moment and looking forward to the future, there are no hard feelings."
It was in July 2023 when Charlie went public with their relationship by posting pictures from a Blur concert at Wembley Arena he attended with Georgia, an event that flagged the beginning of their regular pilgrimages on each other’s Instagram pages. Fans of the beloved Manchester-set drama might be surprised to learn that Georgia initially took on a pseudonym for her acting career, trading her birth name Claire Jackson for her more recognisable moniker on her soap debut, reports The Mirror.
Explaining her name change in an interview with The Mirror, Georgia Taylor, best known as Toyah in Coronation Street, said: "It's not that I planned this to happen", "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 went on to say: "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! "
Her role in Coronation Street proved to be an auspicious start, winning Georgia the 2001 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance. Georgia left Coronation Street in 2003 to pursue other roles, such as her stint as a series regular on the BBC One series Casualty, playing Ruth Winters from 2007.
Since returning to Coronation Street, Georgia's character embarked on an on-screen romance with solicitor Imran Habeeb, becoming entangled in a complicated love triangle with her sister Leanne Battersby (played by Jane Danson). Taylor then ventured into television again, playing the role of Junior Crown Prosecutor Kate Barker in Law and Order: UK for two seasons, from 2013 to 2014, before making a permanent return to Coronation Street in 2016.
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