Georgia Taylor, best known for playing Toyah Battersby on Coronation Street, has split from her co-star boyfriend Charlie de Melo after two years together.

Georgia Taylor, best known for playing Toyah Battersby on Coronation Street, has split from her co-star boyfriend Charlie de Melo after two years together

Actress Georgia Taylor, renowned for her portrayal of Toyah Battersby on Coronation Street, has ended her two-year relationship with co-star Charlie de Melo.

The pair, who share a nine-year age gap made it clear they were in a romantic relationship as Georgia had moved on from her former partner and Casualty co-star Mark Letheren.

The couple, who began dating in late 2022, decided to part ways several months ago but remain good friends. They spent Christmas separately, with Georgia celebrating with friends and co-stars. Charlie, who played Imran Habeeb on the show, has since appeared in Disney’s Rivals and Doctor Who. Georgia was previously in a 14-year relationship with actor Mark.

Georgia Taylor, best known for playing Toyah Battersby on Coronation Street, has split from her co-star boyfriend Charlie de Melo after two years together
Georgia Taylor, best known for playing Toyah Battersby on Coronation Street, has split from her co-star boyfriend Charlie de Melo after two years together
A source close to Georgia and Charlie told The Sun : “Georgia and Charlie are no longer a couple, but they remain friends who care about each other deeply. They have lots of happy memories together, but are both really focused on work at the moment and looking forward to the future, there are no hard feelings.”

Charlie confirmed the romance in July, 2023, sharing a series of snaps from a Blur concert he attended at London’s Wembley Arena with Georgia. They have since made frequent appearances on the other’s Instagram profiles. Many fans of the Manchester-based programme may not even know that Georgia opted for a pseudonym early on in her career, changing her legal name, Claire Jackson, when she made her soap debut.

“It’s not that I planned this to happen”, she told The Mirror, “but when I started with Coronation Street I had to register with Equity, the actors’ union, and at the time there seemed to be a hell of a lot of Claires so I had to think of something else.” She’d then admitted: “I couldn’t tell you where I got Georgia from, other than I liked it, but my grandad’s surname was Taylor and he passed away not long before I got the part. As a teenager I didn’t really think the consequences through of opting for a completely different name, but it’s meant there’s been quite a bit of confusion over the years. At this point I’ll pretty much answer to anything!”

In 2001, Georgia won the Best Dramatic Performance British Soap Award for her role as Toyah. She left Coronation Street for the first time in 2003 and joined BBC One’s Casualty as a series regular, playing Ruth Winters from September 2007. Since returning to the cobbles, Georgia’s character embarked on an on-screen romance with solicitor Imran Habeeb, once rivalling for his affection with her sister Leanne Battersby (played by Jane Danson ).

After four years, Georgia transitioned to television again, starring as Junior Crown Prosecutor Kate Barker in Law & Order: UK for two seasons, from 2013 to 2014. She then returned to Coronation Street permanently in 2016.