Love at first sight!

Julie Hesmondhalgh, who is appearing on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? tonight (September 5), has revealed she moved in with her husband Ian Kershaw after just ONE week and got pregnant after six.

The former Coronation Street actress said her 23-year-old daughter Martha was conceived after she met Ian on a night out.

Julie, who played Hayley Cropper between 1998 and 2014, said at the end of the boozy night out, she told Ian: “I’m going to marry you.”


Ian invited his now-wife to move in after just ONE week (Credit: Splashnews.com)

How did Julie Hesmondhalgh and Ian Kershaw get together?

Speaking to Notebook magazine, Julie said: “We became really good pals, then we went out one night for a mate’s birthday. And we had been full-on flirting all night. At the end of it I said, ‘I’m going to marry you.’

“He laughed, and we kissed. He was going for an audition the next day and I texted him saying, ‘I hope you get this job today, because I will expect to be kept in the manner I’ve become accustomed to when we get married and have our two kids.’

“Ian texted back saying, ‘What do you want from me!?’ I said, ‘Not much, just a top wedding and kid by next Christmas!’

“He answered saying, ‘Martha or Arthur?’ Our Martha was born by the next Christmas.”


Julie got pregnant after six weeks of moving in with her husband (Credit: Wenn)
Read more: Julie Hesmondhalgh says fans mistake her for someone working in the local bank

The Broadchurch actress added that she and Ian “went out on Thursday night” and she “moved in with him on the following Wednesday and I was pregnant within six weeks”.

Julie revealed she “did a pregnancy test on Santa Barbara pier” and they have a photo of them together “pointing at the test saying, ‘We’ve just found out about you, Martha or Arthur!’”.

What does Ian Kershaw do?

Ian also works in the showbiz industry and is an acclaimed writer television, theatre and radio.

He currently writes scripts for Julie’s former employer Coronation Street, where he’s been based since 2018.

Previous credits include EastEnders, Death in Paradise, Holby City, Casualty and Shameless.

Life after Hayley in Corrie for Julie

Julie left her role on Corrie in 2014 when her character Hayley took her own life rather than die of pancreatic cancer.

Following her departure, she went on to portray of long-suffering wife Amanda Wadsworth in Happy Valley, and rape victim Trish Winterman in Broadchurch.


Julie Hesmondhalgh as much-loved Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street (Credit: Shutterstock/ITV)
She then landed a role in an episode of BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.

At the time, Julie appeared as a mysterious character who followed the Doctor to a warehouse moon orbiting the planet of Kandoka.

Most recently the talented actress has appeared in acclaimed BBC One drama The Pact.

* ED! originally published on October 6. We updated it on June 9, 2021 to include further details about Ian Kershaw and Julie’s most recent TV project.