David Platt is renowned as a Coronation Street legend.
The character has been a mainstay on the Cobbles since he was born on Christmas Day 1990. Jack P. Shepherd joined the cast in 2000 and has portrayed the character through some of the show's most dramatic storylines.
The troubled teenager was traumatised after he was nearly drowned by infamous Corrie villain, Richard Hillman. The character tormented his family throughout his first decade on the show and served time in a Young Offenders institute after he pushed Gail down the stairs.
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David has also endured a turbulent love life on Weatherfield as he married Kylie Turner in 2011. The couple shared two children together, but the relationship ended in tragic circumstances when Kylie was murdered by Clayton Hibbs in 2016.
David has since married Shona Turner - and his character has matured over the years as his storylines now focus on trying to keep onscreen son, Max Turner, on the right path. Away from the screen, Jack's life is fortunately less dramatic than his character.
The 34-year-old soap star is currently in a happy relationship with scriptwriter, Hanni Treweek. The two met behind the scenes on the show before they started dating in 2017 and Jack described her as his "soulmate".
He told OK!: "We met at Corrie but we only really knew each other to say hello to at work. Then our mutual friends got married and we were both guests at the wedding.
"We got chatting, I made Hanni laugh, we had a couple of drinks and we flirted. That was it." Jack was previously in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Lauren Shippey, who he shares two children with named Reuben and Nyla.
The soap star has been open about the pressures of being in the limelight. He underwent a hair transplant in 2019 after his confidence plummeted to the point he considered quitting acting.
He told his Instagram followers "I decided to get it done as it was affecting my mental health. To the point where I considered giving up acting and not being in the public eye."
Jack underwent a second operation a year later and hit back at internet trolls for their "hurtful" comments. He added: "I know some people will say that I am being incredibly vain having a second hair transplant so quickly after the first one. All I can say to that was that I needed to do it for my long-term mental well-being. I have been in Corrie for 20 years now - ever since I was 12.
“I know I have been incredibly lucky and love working with such a fantastic group of actors but the relentless schedules take their toll on your mental health, particularly when you have been through as much trauma as David Platt. People pick over your appearance on social media every day and some of those comments really hurt."
He also posted earlier this week on Instagram a picture of his growing locks, he captioned it with: "New hair don’t care anymore."
However, Jack has battled to overcome the social media trolls and continues to enjoy his time on the show. He remains a key part of the cast - and revealed he has no plans to quit Weatherfield anytime soon.
He told Inside Soap: "If you like the people you work with and they make you laugh, you come away thinking, 'That was fun, let's do it again tomorrow'. It's only when you're unhappy at work that you leave, and I'm not. People want to go off and branch out into other things, and that's fine. However, I've always really got on with everyone I work with, and the show still gives me good stories so I'd be silly to leave."
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV and ITV Hub
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