Joanne Thomson’s life off screen from Outlander role to Emmerdale boyfriend

Emmerdale character Cathy Hopem played by Gabrielle Dowling has been at the centre of the major plot in the soap after she battled premenstrual dysphoric disorder - which meant she faced bouts of heavy periods and major mood swings.

TV viewers have been loving new ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad and one contestant in particular has won their hearts, which is postman Roger Hawes.The 58 year old had fans in tears when he opened up about his wife's heartbreaking death during Tuesday's episode of the new TV show, revealing she passed just 18 months ago after being diagnosed with cancer. Roger's three children signed him up for My Mum, Your Dad - dubbed 'middle-aged Love Island' - after deciding it was time for him to look for love again. Here, we take a look into Roger's life away from the cameras...

Soap bosses have confirmed that Brian Conley is set to depart Eastenders after a three year stint on the show. The star, 62, joined the show as Thomas “Rocky” Cotton, a con-man trying to scam Sonia Fowler into believing that he is her long lost father, in May 2021. Brian’s character is still in the midst of drama when his departure was announced this week, leaving viewers stunned, and stoking rumours of a behind the scenes feud.

Since arriving on our screens in December 2022 as Caleb Milligan, Emmerdale star William Ash has delighted audiences as the long lost Dingle sibling in the wake of mum Faith’s tragic death. When suave businessman Caleb first arrived in the village, viewers were suspicious about what had brought him to the Yorkshire village, with several fans questioning why Cain had kept his identity a secret for so long.

Bill Fellows has become a regular face on our TV screens over the years, having starred in the likes of Ted Lasso, Doctors and Casualty. However, the 65 year old actor is now arguably best known as Coronation Street's Stu Carpenter, having joined the cast of the hit ITV soap back in October 2021. Since taking on the regular role, he's found himself at the centre of some dramatic storylines, including most recently coming face-to-face with ex-wife Lucy.

After a brief absence from Emmerdale, Cathy Hope recently returned to our screens in the wake of her debilitating mental health battle with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.The youngster had been battling heavy periods and severe mood swings for a number of weeks and left the village to go and stay with her half-brother Scott Windsor in the hopes that a break would help her to get a better handle on her condition. Since her return, a tearful Cathy has opened up to her dad’s partner Wendy and explained how she is still struggling to live with the devastating condition, with emotionally taxing scenes having broken the hearts of many fans tuning in.Thankfully however, despite Cathy’s on-screen struggles, Garbielle Dowling, the talented teen that plays her, has a far less stressful life away from the cameras! Co-star brother First making her debut alongside her real life brother, Sebastian in 2007, the pair have been firm fixtures of Emmerdale for over 16 years! Now aged 17, Gabrielle has been propelled into the limelight as part of the exciting PMDD storyline, but with the real-life twins having been staples of the show for so long, it may surprise viewers to know that the pair weren’t the first stars to originate the roles of Bob Hope’s children.The twins were originally played by Ella Whitehouse Downes and Lilith Kitching for the first few episodes following their introduction, as Sebastian had to remain in hospital for an extra week following his birth.

For ten whole years, Kellie Bright has been delighting audiences with her portrayal of Linda Carter in EastEnders, with her decade long stint on the show having the seen the character embroiled in numerous dramatic storylines. Among some of her most iconic storylines to date, fans have seen the character come to terms with her rape at the hands of her brother-in-law Dean Wicks, battle with alcoholism, deliver a premature baby and of course, lose the love of her life Mick Carter in a devastating car accident last Christmas.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Coronation Street star Anthony Crank returned to the cobbles as Dean Turnbull earlier this year much to the delight of fans. Anthony, 49 returned to the cobbles in August playing the turbulent role of villain and drug dealer Dean who has notably been terrorising Cassie Plumber amid her drug addiction.This is Anthony's fourth stint on Coronation Street having played the role of Dean twice as well as two other roles. In 2011, he appeared as a police officer in scenes linked to Jim McDonald's armed robbery and in the same year reappeared in the same role, this time attending the burglary scene at Janice Battersby's house.

Dame Maureen Lipman has been a regular on our TV screens for decades, having landed her first on-screen role in 1969 and going on to star in numerous well-known shows. The star, 77, has become a household name thanks to her incredible talents as an actress, writer and comedian, which even led to her being made a Dame in 2020. Maureen is now arguably best known for portraying Evelyn Plummer in hit ITV soap Coronation Street - a regular role she's been in since 2018.

Michael Le Vell has become a soap legend thanks to his role as Kevin Webster in hit ITV soap Coronation Street, having joined the cast back in 1983. The 58 year old actor has found himself at the centre of numerous dramatic storylines over the years, from Kevin's rocky marriage to Sally Metcalfe to his affairs with Natalie Horrocks and Molly Dobbs. More recently, viewers have watched as the mechanic has cared for his son Jack following his sepsis diagnosis along with his marriage and romance with Abi Franklin.

Coronation Street star Shelley King has become a key character on the cobbles since she joined as Yasmeen Metcalfe in 2014.The believed character is currently in a relationship with Stu Carpenter played by Bill Fellows and will soon be celebrating her 70th birthday in the heart of Weatherfield. Away from Corrie, the soap star is miles away from her on screen persona and is actually 67 years old and is in a civil partnership with actor and director Trilby James.Trilby has established herself in the world of showbiz having worked on shows such as Poirot, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Casualty, The Broker's Man and Cake. The pair have been together for over 20 years with Shelley "coming out" to her parents after they met.

Emmerdale star Kevin Mathurin, who plays the role of vicar Charles Anderson, lives in a colourful London pad - and has a surprising A-list connection. Kevin, 63, has become a fan favourite since he joined the hit ITV soap in 2020 and has been at the heart of some huge storylines.

When Emmerdale first introduced the loveable Lydia Dingle to fans back in 2016, it didn’t take long for the character to capture the hearts and attention of the nation. During her time on the show, the character has faced everything from a string of short-lived romances with Paddy Kirk and Rishi Sharma, the heartbreaking loss of her stillborn son, and more recently the sting of the cost of living crisis - but along the way she also fell for and married the love of her life, Sam Dingle.

Lucy Benjamin has been a recognisable face in the soap world for decades - mainly thanks to her work in EastEnders as Lisa Fowler, where she was first cast back in 1998. Now 53, Lucy has made quite a name for herself on the soap, first being introduced by producer Matthew Robinson as a 'home-wrecking blonde.' Since then, she's departed and returned to Albert Square a number of times over the years, and is now firmly back amongst things in the Walford world.

As EastEnders newcomer Anna Knight prepares to face the fallout of her estranged mother Cindy Beale’s return, it’s safe to say that there’s plenty of drama about to unfold in the coming days. From suddenly discovering she has a whole second family through to realising her mum had been living under a false identity for all of her life, tensions and emotions are bound to be running high among the Knight family.

Lover, life partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other, whatever you want to call it, everyone wants to find that special someone. And stars are no different. A new series of Celebs Go Dating started on 20 August, with all the television personalities keen to meet their person.The full line-up is: Adam Collard, Chloe Burrows, Lottie Moss, Mark-Francis Vandelli, Vanessa Feltz and Spuddz (real name Kieran Weir).

We know them best for playing on-screen siblings Moira Barton and Mackenzie Boyd in Emmerdale, but one common question that continues to surround stars Lawrence Robb and Natalie J Robb, is whether or not the duo are actually related in real life? The pair, who are continually shown to have excellent on-screen chemistry have frequently been spotted both on and off set at various events since both arriving on the soap, from swanky awards bashes to fitness feats for charity, showing a strong bond and clear connection. However, despite sharing a surname, that’s the extent of the talented stars connection, as Lawrence and Natalie are not related, despite many assumptions to the contrary.

Home and Away viewers recently saw the arrival of new character Tegan to Summer Bay, claiming to be Andrew’s half sister. Tegan, played by Sophia Forrest, has made it clear about their desire to get to know Andrew better.The two have already started bonding over shared childhood trauma and fans will have to wait and see where this storyline leads... Who is Sophia Forrest? In a vastly different life from that of their Home and Away character, Sophia Forrest is the child of one of Australia’s wealthiest families.

EastEnders star William Ellis who plays the role of "creepy" headteacher Theo Hawthorne has starred in a number of other TV gigs fans may recognise. William, 42 made his EastEnders debut in April this year joining the storyline with Freddie Slater and was quickly wrapped up with the whole family, recently convincing Stacey Slater to kick out troubled Eve Unwin. But away from his "evil" antics on Albert Square, the soap star is miles away from his on screen persona and has appeared in a number of other recognisable titles, including a rival soap.The soap star is a British actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

EastEnders fans are set for a dramatic week with actress Heather Peace at the centre of explosive scenes.