Coronation Street's Bernie Winter, played by Jane Hazlegrove, has been a fan favourite since her arrival on the cobbles in 2019. Known for being the mother of twins Gemma Winter and Paul Foreman, Bernie has faced numerous challenges during her time on the soap, from dealing with dodgy mates to grappling with her son Paul's devastating Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis.
Bernie's love life has also been a rollercoaster ride with a string of failed romances having dominated her time on the show. Early on, viewers learned that the twins' father was out of the picture and that Kel Hinchley, Bernie's former flame, had sexually abused Paul during his teenage years.
Recently, however, it seems Bernie may have found her perfect match in corner shop owner Dev Alahan - as despite their relationship's ups and downs, Dev has stood by Bernie through various harebrained schemes. However, that romance was once again tested in recent days, following the return of the twins' father Denny, after he heard Paul give an interview about his terminal diagnosis on the radio.
Reaching out to Bernie, the worried mum initially tried to fob Denny off by telling him Paul had already died, but clearly knowing this was a lie, Denny persisted and was able to make contact with Paul - with catastrophic results. Keen to give him a taste of a 'normal' life, Denny got drunk with Paul, leading him to inhale some of his own vomit and be rushed to hospital.
To make matters worse, while Paul was recovering in hospital, Denny attempted to steal and sell Paul's wheelchair, not to mention threatening to out a 'huge secret' about Bernie's past to her loved ones - something which could well place an added strain on her relationship.
Off-screen, Jane Hazlegrove thankfully leads a much calmer love life, as the actress is happily married to fellow actress Isobel Middleton.
Here's the lowdown on the Corrie star's love life that has had us all talking...
The beloved 55 year old actress from Coronation Street said 'I do' to her lovely wife in 2015, and they've been super private about their romance ever since. Breaking from their usual privacy, Jane couldn't help but share some sweet details on Lorraine in 2019, where she exclaimed: "She's sensational, a really beautiful woman. I am very obsessed."
During that heartfelt chat, Jane also let slip that they'd been an item for a whopping 28 years, and cheekily suggested that not acting together on screen might just be their love's secret ingredient!
While they've never shared the screen, both have soap credentials, with Isobel having played three different roles in Emmerdale, including Jean Rawson in 2020, a barrister in Simon McManus' 2018 trial, and Dr Lane back in 2014.
Isobel's also graced EastEnders as Sadie Banks in 2002 and lent her voice to characters in the magical world of Harry Potter.
Jane, on the other hand, is famed for her stint as Casualty's Kathleen 'Dixie' Dixon, before joining the cast of Coronation Street. Her TV credits don't end there though she's also popped up in Doctors, The Bill, and London's Burning.
The joyful duo initially became civil partners in 2010, but tying the knot formally wasn't always the main focus for Jane, until sadly Isobel fell ill. Chatting with Metro, Jane reminisced: "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'."
