It's been four years since Sally Carman joined the cast of Coronation Street as mechanic Abi Franklin - and she's made a big impression on soap viewers.
The character was introduced as the mother of teen Seb Franklin - played by Harry Visinoni, 22, but Sally has become a huge part of the show in her own right.
The actress has impressed viewers and critics by being at the heart of a number of gripping storylines, including the hate crime which saw her son Seb and his girlfriend Nina Lucas - played by Mollie Gallagher, 24 - attacked by a group of teenagers.
And whilst viewers may be used to seeing Sally, 40, each week on the show, they probably don't know that much about her life off-screen.
Upbringing
Sally grew up in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, raised by her parents Steve and Ann Carman, a miner and care home worker respectively.
She described her mother as "beautiful inside and out" in a post on social media last year, with her having referred to her father as being her "anchor" and "hero."
During her childhood, the family are said to have watched Coronation Street religiously - which gave her ambitions of working on the ITV soap opera herself one day.
She later pursued a career in acting and after some issues with poor attendance at a performing arts college, she secured a place at prestigious drama school LAMDA.
Career
Sally had her TV debut on police procedural drama City Central in 1998. She subsequently landed roles in long-running shows including Doctors, Heartbeat and Holby City.
Her big break however came as prostitute Kelly Maguire in Shameless. The character was introduced in 2005 and remained on the show until its final season in 2013.
The character's storylines on the Channel 4 series included tension with her future-husband's family at the start of the relationship and later experiencing a phantom pregnancy.
The role saw Sally take part in several raunchy sex scenes whilst part of the comedy drama series, including with on-screen husband Nicky Evans, 42 - who played Shane Maguire.
It was in 2017 that she made her on-screen debut in Coronation Street, with her character Abi initially introduced as a drug-addict and the estranged mother of Seb.
Abi later got clean and worked on her relationship with her son - prior to his death. She is currently married to Kevin Webster, played by Michael Le Vell, 57.
Their relationship however was rocked recently when he found out about a one night stand that she had behind his back. She has since given birth to a baby boy, named Alfie.
Abi didn't realise that she was pregnant and has yet to reveal to her now-ex Kevin that the father is actually Imran Habeeb, played by Charlie de Melo, 31.
Romance
Whilst her character may be in the middle of a complicated situation romantically, the same can't be said for Sally off-screen - who is in a relationship with Joe Duttine, 51.
He plays Tim Metcalfe on the ITV soap and interestingly the pair had both appeared in Shameless - with him having played Cameron Donnelly in the comedy-drama series.
The couple began dating in 2018 and moved in together the following year. They became engaged in 2020 and are planning to get married around Christmas this year.
Discussing their relationship last year, Sally teased about what it is like working with her fiancé on the set of Coronation Street. She commented: "I hate working with him."
The actor had explained: "He's a rotten man to work with because he makes me laugh to the point where I get that sweaty feeling because I can’t get a grip."
Stunning home
Sally and Joe - who has two children from a previous relationship - moved in together almost three years ago, with her having shown off parts of their home on social media.
She posted a photo of their dining space on Instagram last year, which showed a set table with tea lights and a candle. Elsewhere in the room was a cabinet and two chairs.
The actor gave a glimpse inside a living room more recently on the platform, when she thanked an artist for their "beautiful" oil paintings. The photo centred on a chair.
And she previously showcased the couple's bathroom a few months ago when she thanked a cleaning company. The photo showed a shiny old-fashioned bath tub.
Religion
Sally previously revealed that she had found her faith later in life, with her having been baptised at St Philip's Church in Salford in 2019. It's where she plans to get married.
The soap star said she became a Christian around seven years ago after a friend had "shared something" with her - with religion then suddenly making "sense on another level."
Coronation Street continues on Monday night from 8pm on ITV. You can catch-up through the ITV Hub.
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