The Feud star Jill Halfpenny previously revealed she dated Ant McPartlin during their Byker Grove days.

Actress Jill, 49, shot to fame playing Nicola Dobson in the coming-of-age BBC drama series from 1989 to 1992.

Since then, Jill has not slowed down, with the star bagging roles on EastEnders, Strictly and Channel 5 drama The Feud – which continues tonight (April 21).

But it turns out she once dated her Byker Grove co-star Ant McPartlin, 49 – before things “fizzled out”.

Jill opened up about her romance with Ant (Credit: ITV)

The Feud star Jill Halfpenny on dating Ant McPartlin

BBC’s teen series Byker Grove catapulted several stars to stardom in the 1980s and 1990s, including Jill and Geordie duo Ant and Dec.

The show was originally broadcast between 1989 and 2006 and told the story of a youth club in Newcastle.

And it seems romance blossomed on the set between Ant and Jill…

Jill asked Ant out on a date (Credit: The Graham Norton Show/YouTube)

Why did Ant and Jill end things?

Back in 2016, Jill appeared on This Morning and shared that she once asked Ant out on a date to the cinema.

“We went to the cinema together, we went to see The Commitments in real life!” Jill said.

She added: “I said to him: ‘There’s a really good film that’s come out called The Commitments, do you wanna come?’ He was like: ‘Ah aye, yeah great!’”

However, it turned out it wasn’t meant to be for the two stars. Jill revealed: “It fizzled…. We weren’t right for each other!”

Jill’s love life

Ant went on to marry his wife Anne-Marie Corbett in 2021, and welcomed their first child in 2024.

Jill meanwhile found love with partner Matt. However back in 2017, Matt suddenly died of a heart attack after leaving to go to an exercise class one morning, at the age of 43. At the time of his death, the couple were trying for a baby.

Jill has previously opened up about the “awful” grief she experienced after Matt’s death. And how it forced her to confront the grief she still had about her dad’s death.

Since Matt’s passing, Jill has found love again with Ian McAllister. And she believes she got a sign from Matt to give his permission for her to move on.

Watch Jill on The Feud on Monday (April 21) at 9pm on Channel 5.