ITV Coronation Street and Emmerdale stars you never knew were related from twins to cousins(Image: ITV)

ITV Coronation Street and Emmerdale stars you never knew were related from twins to cousins

Many soap stars have likened their co-stars to family - and for some ITV actors, this really is the case with real-life siblings appearing in rival soaps as well

by · PlymouthLive

Coronation Street and Emmerdale cast members often refer to their co-stars as family - and for some actors, this is literally 'true'.

Many viewers have been following their soap favourites for years, but may not be aware that several stars have real-life family connections on the beloved ITV shows. With soap acting clearly a family affair, Coronation Street and Emmerdale are home to many real-life family members, from twins to cousins.

Meanwhile, some family members even appear in rival soaps. Here we delve into all the real-life family members from our favourite soaps....

The Flanagan family

The Flanagan family is one of the largest and most well-known real-life soap families. Isabella and William Flanagan are real-life twins, although they portray cousins Hope Stape and Joseph Brown on Coronation Street.

Meanwhile, their older sister, Amelia Flanagan, portrays April Windsor on Emmerdale. The talented acting trio's proud parents frequently praise their children on social media and provide a glimpse into their life away from the soaps, reports the Mirror.

Corrie's Jude Riordan with soap siblings Amelia, Isabella and William Flanagan(Image: justjude7/Instagram)

Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling

Isabella and William aren't the only soap twins, as Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling portrayed real-life twins Cathy and Heath Hope in Emmerdale.

The siblings took on the role of Viv and Bob Hope's children back in 2007. However, earlier this year in a tragic twist, Heath was killed off in a heartbreaking New Year car crash storyline. Cathy still remains on the ITV soap.

Will and Peter Ash

Peter's real-life cousin Will Ash features as Caleb Milligan in Emmerdale(Image: ITV)

Coronation Street star Peter Ash scooped the Serial Drama Performance National Television Award for his compelling portrayal of Paul Foreman, whose struggle with motor neurone disease (MND) culminated in poignantly tragic scenes on the show.

Cue celebrations from Peter's real-life cousin, Will Ash, who features as Caleb Milligan in Emmerdale. Following the announcement in 2022 that Will would be joining the soap, Peter took to Twitter with praise: "Yes! This is my cousin, Will!" He continued: "He's an absolutely fantastic actor, and was one of my big inspirations for getting into acting myself! Can't wait to see him do his stuff in #Emmerdale!" On hearing this news, one fan responded, "No way, I had no idea he's your cousin, well fantastic acting definitely runs in the family x," while another remarked, "I actually thought you were brothers coz you look so alike!"

Brooke Vincent and Ellie Leach

Brooke Vincent's cousin Ellie joined her on Coronation Street(Image: ellielouiseleach / Instagram)

One can't forget Brooke Vincent, who we watched grow up on Corrie as Sophie Webster, making her debut in 2004 and departing in 2019. The thrill was palpable when her younger cousin Ellie Leach came aboard in 2011 as Faye Windass a role she excelled in until 2023.

Ellie, at just 23, danced her way to victory on Strictly Come Dancing last year alongside Vito Coppola.

Charley Webb and Jamie Lomas

Her real-life brother Jamie Lomas has been portraying Hollyoaks legend Warren Fox(Image: jamielomas21/Instagram)

Charley Webb is remembered for her iconic role as Debbie Dingle on Emmerdale, which she embodied from 2002 to 2021, before moving on to star in productions such as The Long Shadow.

However, she's not the only soap star in her family. Her real-life brother Jamie Lomas has been portraying Hollyoaks legend Warren Fox since 2006, although he left the Channel 4 soap earlier this year.

Ryan Thomas and Adam Thomas

Ryan's younger brother Adam Thomas joined rival soap Emmerdale(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for FENIX Manchester)

Ryan Thomas was just a youngster when he first set foot on the cobbles on Christmas Day in 2000 as Jason Grimshaw. He left the hit ITV soap back in 2016.

Meanwhile, his younger brother Adam Thomas joined rival soap Emmerdale as Adam Barton in 2009, a role he played until 2018. The siblings also have another famous brother, Scott Thomas, who appeared on Love Island back in 2016.

Greg Wood and Matt Milburn

Matt is the real-life brother of actor Greg Wood, who played evil loan shark and villain Rick Neelan on the ITV soap(Image: ITV)

Coronation Street fans were stunned to discover that two characters who never met on the iconic cobbles were actually related in real life.

Tommy Orpington, a famous footballer for Weatherfield County on the soap and who had an affair with Tracy Barlow earlier this year, is played by actor Matt Milburn.

Yet he's not the only famous Corrie actor in the family as his real-life brother Greg Wood played nasty loan shark Rick Neeson on the cobbles.