Coronation Street star Alan Halsall celebrated his birthday over the weekend, resulting in some of his famous co-stars paying tribute to him on social media. This included a hilarious throwback photo posted by Samia Longchambon, who plays his former girlfriend Maria Connor in the ITV soap. Samia had fun going on a trip down memory lane, and dug out a picture of the pair from over ten years ago, where unsurprisingly, they looked completely different! "Another birthday another embarrassing pic of us...," Samia wrote. "Happy birthday to my ‘younger’ (by a whole month) brother from another! Surprised the fringe police didn’t get us for this crime against hair!! Love you loads @alanhalsall #birthdayboy #friendsforever#whenwewere17."
Coronation Street's Alan Halsall and Samia Longchambon back in the day
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Fans were quick to comment on the photo, with one writing: "Wow so young! Seems like another lifetime and yet you still look so young. Can't believe how long you have been friends..how long you have been in Coronation Street." Another said: "This picture makes me feel old. Looking good you two." Alan and Samia's Corrie co-star Tina O'Brien, who plays Sarah Platt in the show, added: "God I remember you two like this like it was yesterday." Other Coronation Street stars marking Alan's big day included Jennie McApline, who plays his on-screen girlfriend Fiz Brown. Jennie posted a photo of the pair on set, and wrote next to it: "Happy birthday to the coolest and best partner in crime. Love you @alanhalsall."
Alan's birthday was also marked by co-star Jennie McAlpine
Last month, Alan was inundated with compliments after he shared a slimmed-down photo of himself on social media. In the photo, which had been taken at a friend's wedding, the actor looked noticeably trimmer. "You look sooo good," one fan told him in the comments section, while another Corrie viewer said: "That's a serious transformation." A third added: "Always loved Tyrone but now there's even more to like!"
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Alan's had a year of ups and downs, and in May it was revealed that he was separating with his wife, former Coronation Street actor Lucy-Jo Hudson. Lucy-Jo confirmed the news in a statement to HELLO! that read: "I can confirm that Al and I are in the process of divorcing. We remain friends and devoted Mummy and Daddy to our daughter Sienna. We would appreciate privacy so that we can focus on Sienna's continued happiness."
The couple, who first met on the set of Coronation Street in 2002, tied the knot in 2009 and are parents to one daughter together, four-year-old Sienna-Rae. They previously separated in April 2016, but confirmed they had reconciled just months later. Their daughter Sienna now splits her time between her two parents. Last month, Alan paid tribute to his little girl on Instagram by posting a beautiful black-and-white photo of the pair, writing besides it: "My greatest achievement."