Coronation Street legendary Martin Platt is making a long-awaited return to the cobbles –

but what has actor Sean Wilson been up to in the years since his departure?

Corrie bosses have now confirmed that nurse Martin – who was at the heart of

the ITV soap from 1985 to 2005 – will indeed be returning to Weatherfield later this year, and will feature in Gail Platt’s (Helen Worth) final scenes. Martin and Gail were of course one of Corrie’s most iconic couples, with the pair weathering plenty of storms during their often rocky marriage. Expect emotional reunion scenes ahead.

Here, the Mirror takes a look at Sean’s interesting life away from the cobbles, including crushing heartbreaks, impressive business endeavours, and a heated row with Corrie bosses…

Lancashire-born Sean appears thrilled to be walking back through the door of No 8, Coronation Street, describing reprising the role as comparable to ‘slipping on an old and comfortable jumper’ He hasn’t always felt so warmly towards the show however, and once declared he’d never return after being presented with a grim storyline.

Soap lovers with particularly excellent memories will recall that Martin embarked on a relationship with Katy Harris (Lucy-Jo Hudson) – the 16-year-old daughter of his former pal, Tommy Harris (Thomas Craig). The age-gap romance, which ultimately ended in tragedy, proved uncomfortable among some viewers, and there was reportedly an even more controversial coupling on the cards.

According to Sean, 59, writers had intended for Martin to embark upon a relationship with a girl even younger than teenage Katy – in a storyline he felt simply went too far. Not liking the direction his character was being taken in, he decided to quit, and it would appear his behind-the-scenes goodbye had been somewhat frosty.

In his 2012 book, The Great Northern Cookbook, which was later adapted for a Channel 5 series, Sean detailed his decision to leave his famous soap persona behind after two decades. Sean revealed: “By 2005, I knew my tenure on the Street had to end. An editorial decision was made that Martin should embark on an underage relationship, something that made me uncomfortable. I picked up my coat and left in September in that year ending 21 years of massive fun with a fabulous on-set family.”

He continued: “I will act again, but never with Coronation Street. They were very rude to me when I left, I would rather walk down any other street even if I had a nail in my shoe.”

Chef career

Thespian Sean went on to work on other big shows such as Doctors, Waterloo Road, and The Royal. He even briefly returned to the Street for a few episodes in 2018. However, following his Corrie exit debacle, he turned his focus to another creative passion – cooking. Foodie Sean went on to become a successful chef, working at prestigious restaurants such as the Michelin-starred Northcote Manor.

Last year, Sean, who once claimed to have more than 300 cookbooks, opened up about his lifelong love of the culinary arts during an appearance on The Graham Norton Radio Show With Waitrose. He shared: “I wanted to cook earlier than that, but my mother would always say she was too busy and shoo me out of the kitchen and what not. But when I got my own kitchen, and [TV chef] Keith Floyd had come to our screens, I suddenly ended up popping over to France and buying corn-fed chickens and stuff. I remember asking for a corn-fed chicken where I live in the suburbs of Manchester, and getting the strangest of looks! But it was my kitchen and Keith that was my awakening.”

During his years as a soapstar, Sean would also host sophisticated dinner parties for his co-stars, who were all ‘very supportive’ of his new career direction. Sean previously told the Mirror: “When I was on Corrie I was the only one that had dinner parties during that time. I used to get 12 to 15 of them around for dinner and I’d cook for all of them. It would be Helen Worth, Sue Nicholls, Simon… We’d have a few wines and relax. They were good times.”

Mending heartbreak through cheese

In 2013, Sean was left utterly devastated about splitting from his then-wife Gaynor, with whom he shares two children. And one impressive foodie skill helped him through the dark times of his break-up – cheesemaking. While working 15 hours a day in a top restaurant with chef pal Nigel Haworth, Sean was introduced to renowned cheesemaker Bob Kitching, and soon caught the bug. Speaking with the Mirror in 2016, Sean recalled: “He taught me how to make three white traditional Lancaster cheeses. He was incredibly helpful. My whole idea of getting into the cheese-making thing was to develop a blue cheese, which went on to win four world cheese awards consecutively.”

And so it was that Sean poured all his heartache into his cheesemaking business, The Saddleworth Cheese Company, with tasty results. Sean explained: “Having a cheese business helped me through that time, having something to focus on. I actually created a cheese through that time called the Soft Mick. That came from that period. At the end of the day, you have just got to move on and getting stuck in with the cheese really helped.

He’s since won multiple awards for his range of delicious cheeses, including three gongs at the 2009 British Cheese Awards, and has also worked on judging panels. Whether or not this love of cheese is worked into his upcoming storyline remains to be seen…