Over two decades ago, Jennie McAlpine, then a troubled teenager named Fiz Brown, joined Coronation Street. Now a mother of three, she balances her job in soap operas with her personal life.
Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine has addressed her future on the hit soap and says she feels sorry for character Fiz Dobbs. Jennie joined the cobbles in 2001, initially appearing as a troubled teenager adopted by Roy and Hayley Cropper.
Her appearances as Fiz have seen the 40-year-old twice considered for the Best Actress gong at the Inside Soap Awards. The star now juggles her work on-screen with being a mum-of-three, with husband Chris Farr running a successful restaurant in Manchester.
It marks an air of similarity with Fiz, who is mum to 13-year-old Hope and 11-year-old Ruby. To make matters worse for Fiz, her husband Tyrone’s ex Alina Pop has returned to Coronation Street, with a toddler in tow, claiming he is the husband.
“Poor Fiz,” Jennie sighs as she speaks to My Weekly magazine. Confessing that the stage direction in the script recently made a similar remark.
Having appeared on Coronation Street for over two decades now, albeit with short breaks with her family, Jennie has grown fond of the soap. But she has branched out, taking part in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2017, and game shows such as Richard Osman’s House of Games, Pointless Celebrities, and Rolling In It with Stephen Mulhern.
However she admits she is the happiest when she is on the cobbles. She said: “I don’t ever want to take Coronation Street for granted but I couldn’t imagine going and doing something else and I don’t think I will.”
Since having Doris, now 16-months-old, Jennie however has admitted she could possibly see herself in another career in the future. She added: “However, Doris has reminded me how much I love babies, so maybe I could work as a midwife two days a week alongside Coronation Street.”
As well as youngest child Doris, Jennie and Chris share son Albert, nine, and daughter Hilda, five. The children all have Coronation Street themed names, with Albert Tatlock being Ken Barlow’s uncle, Hilda Ogdan a legendary character, and Doris Speed the actress who played Annie Walker.
Jennie and Chris were introduced through Corrie star Anthony Cotton, who played Rovers Return barman Sean Sully. He is said to have called Jennie and said he was sat with her “future husband”.
