As Jane Danson’s Coronation Street character Leanne Battersby leaves the cobbles, we take a look at the actress’ life away from the ITV soap
Jane Danson’s character Leanne Battersby has bid farewell to the cobbles after she became entangled with ‘The Institute’ in Coronation Street.
As fans of the ITV soap will know, Leanne had been under the influence of Rowan Cunliffe since his arrival in Weatherfield, causing a rift between her, partner Nick Tilsley and even her sister Toyah Battersby during her time of need.
It’s been 27 years since Leanne first set foot on the cobbles in 1997, when the ‘family from hell’ was introduced to the ITV soap to stir up some drama on the famous street. Leanne, portrayed by actress Danson, arrived alongside her father Les, step-mum Janice and step-sister Toyah. However, Jane departed the cobbles in 2000 following a distressing storyline that saw her character become a drug addict.
Soap career
She made a comeback in 2004, where she went on to marry Peter Barlow and then Nick Tilsley for the second time, before the couple split once more. She has since reconciled with Nick twice more – in 2016 and 2018.
Despite the rollercoaster of events, affairs, and marriages that her soap character has experienced, Jane’s real life is starkly different from her on-screen persona. Apart from playing Leanne, Jane has taken on numerous roles, starting her career in children’s television with Children’s Ward and later the CBBC sitcom Out of Tune.
She has also featured in ITV’s period drama The Grant, portrayed nurse Samantha Docherty in Always and Everyone, and played the first lesbian police officer, Gemma Osbourne, in the police drama The Bill. Interestingly, Danson isn’t her actual surname – it’s Dawson. Therefore, her first credited role was as Eileen Critchley in the 1991 Alan Bleasdale drama GBH, where she was credited as Jane Dawson.
Jane admitted she was once too frightened to step outside, dreading public backlash. Recalling her early days on the soap and marking two decades with it, she told The Mirror: “I’d be scared of someone throwing a drink in my face.”
Preferring safety, Jane chose to stay in instead of hitting the town, confessing: “Coping with the attention was terrifying.”
Married life
Now 45 and hailing from Bury, Jane enjoys a longstanding marriage with actor Robert Beck, her partner of 23 years who’s graced various television shows such as Brookside, Emmerdale, Waterloo Road, and a spell on Corrie in 2008. His most recent roles included Fergus Collins on Hollyoaks and the villainous Damon ‘Harry’ Harris on Emmerdale last year.
Interestingly, this wasn’t Robert’s first outing in the Emmerdale village; loyal viewers might recall his appearance in over 70 episodes during the 90s where he played Gavin Ferris, Bernice Blackstock’s paramour, whose engagement was rocked by a scandalous kiss with Jason Kirk.
With Robert’s latest Emmerdale character debuting, Jane has spoken fondly of the show that brought them together; they first crossed paths at the British Soap Awards in 1999. Jane has also revealed that her admiration for Robert began when she was only 15.
After a blossoming friendship turned into a beautiful romance, the smitten pair exchanged vows in 2005 and soon after welcomed their first bundle of joy, Harry, followed by their second son Sam in 2009. Jane once shared with OK! Magazine the essence of their enduring bond: “Me and my husband have been together for 22 years, and we’re really good friends as well as loving each other lots.”
Heartbreak
Yet, their journey has been laced with moments of profound sorrow. The couple faced the agony of miscarriage, a loss that Jane candidly discussed, revealing the depth of their grief when they learned at the three-month scan that they had lost their third child.
“It was heartbreaking and it took us a long time to get over it I don’t think you ever do,” Jane confided to OK! back in 2018. “There will always be that sadness there and there’ll always be that desire, but we’re getting older now and the boys are growing up. Sometimes you just have to appreciate what you have.”
In a heartfelt Instagram post in October 2022, during Baby Loss Awareness Week, Jane reflected on her personal tragedy: “The pain of having a ‘missed miscarriage’ will stay with me forever. My three months scan showed there was no heartbeat yet my body continued to be pregnant for some time. It was devastating.”
“The worst thing that I did was not talk about what I was going through and somehow it made the heartache even more painful. In time I learnt to talk and express just how broken I felt. With the love of my husband @robertbeck529 and support from my friends and family I began to heal. Sending love to anyone suffering.”
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