Coronation Street actor Mikey North, who has played bad boy Gary Windass for 18 years, has revealed that his young son used to confuse him with Prince Harry. The 39-year-old, from Bolton, says his son Archie, now nine, thought his father was the royal whenever he appeared on TV.
Son's Confusion
Mikey, who lives with wife Rachael and children Archie and Eliza, six, said: “My son thought that I was Prince Harry for the first few years of his life. Whenever Prince Harry came on the TV he used to say ‘Daddy!’ Thank goodness he’s out of that phase now.”
Alongside watching his kids grow up, Mikey has seen Gary evolve from a scally to a husband and family man, though the former squaddie has been involved in numerous brawls over the years.
Stunt Injuries
Despite having stunt co-ordinators on set, Mikey’s enthusiasm for realism has sometimes led to injuries. “I’ve got scars, I’ve broken bones, I’ve done it all, but it’s my favourite part of the job,” he said.
He recalled: “One of the scars was from a fight with Sol Heras who used to play Ryan Connor. I went to punch him and timed it wrong and ended up punching the wall instead. I broke a rib last year fighting against Joe Layton (Mick Michaelis), when he threw me into a pile of tyres near the garage.”
He also mentioned a scene with Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne): “Very cleverly, he’d do it one way in the rehearsal and then up it by 20 per cent when we filmed it. He picked me up and threw me and then pinned me against the bar in the Rovers. He genuinely caught me by surprise, which gets the juices flowing and makes it real on screen.”
Gary as Robin Hood
Mikey sees Gary as a modern-day Robin Hood, and recent storylines have shown a heroic side. “This year has been my favourite year so far, because I think they’ve managed to make him a hero – he’s trying to save people,” he said. “I love Gary the most when he does bad things to bad people, when he’s playing the Robin Hood type character. I hope that the days of him just beating people up for the sake of it are behind him.”
Viewers know Gary helped ex-girlfriend Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) dispose of the weapon used to kill Theo Silverton. While Sarah is in prison, Gary has avoided police suspicion, despite efforts from Sarah’s boyfriend, Detective Kit Green (Jacob Roberts).
Upcoming Storyline
In the coming week, Kit obtains a hard drive with data from Gary’s phone and finds incriminating evidence. Mikey says: “Kit tells Gary that he either hands himself in, or he’ll search for the murder weapon and Gary will be facing a lengthy prison sentence.”
Gary seeks advice from lawyer Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), who offers two options: hand himself in or hope Kit is bluffing. Mikey adds: “Gary hates authority and the law, so normally he would do everything he could to evade Kit, but at the same time he’s wondering whether it’s time to just tell the truth, get it out of the way, go down and do his time and do the right thing for once.”
His wife Maria (Samia Longchambon) also faces police questioning, believing she knows more about the murder. Mikey says: “Things always seem to lead back to Gary and Sarah and, for Maria, it seems like a recurring theme, so it’s naturally caused problems in their marriage. I honestly don’t know if it can survive. He loves Maria, but there’s always something there with Gary and Sarah. They’re a big part of each other’s lives and probably understand each other in a way that no-one else does.”
Personal Life
Mikey’s wife, a former dancer now teaching assistant, once appeared in a Captain America movie. “She always reminds me that she did Hollywood before I have!” he joked.
In 2018, Mikey appeared on E4’s TV All Star Driving School to overcome his driving phobia. “I had a mental block about wanting to learn to drive, I just said I’d never do it. When I passed my test, I burst into tears. I was 30. Now I can’t imagine not driving,” he said.
He also dreams of joining Celebrity MasterChef. “I love my food and I love to cook, I’ve always enjoyed it. I watch all the food programmes and I like nice restaurants. I love Gordon Ramsay, he’s my hero; I’ve got all of his cookery books. He’s the reason why I started cooking; he’s the inspiration.”
Early Life and Career
Growing up in Scarborough, Mikey played cricket for the county. “Before acting, cricket was my life. It’s long gone, but it’s nice to see some of the lads that I played with playing for England now,” he said.
At 15, he wrote to 1,000 acting agents. “One got back to me – I’m still with her to this day, she’s been amazing. She sent me to an audition for a play at the Bush Theatre in London. I had no experience and yet I managed to get the job. Being in London at 18 with just three of us in an amazing play launched my career. It was life changing.”
His first TV role was in The Bill at 19, followed by parts in Waterloo Road, The Royal, Doctors, and Britannia High. “I always played baddies – rogues or thugs! I don’t know what it was about me, maybe it’s the red hair. I still hold aspirations of being able to wear a suit for a part one day and maybe play a detective or a lawyer. The only time I’ve worn a suit so far is when I’m in court.”
Joining Corrie at 21 as the tearaway son of the Windass family, Gary is now a dad-of-three. Mikey says: “It’s a bit different to the early days when young lads wanted to fight me in the street. That’s stopped, thank God!”
Gary has been involved in three deaths, including helping Sarah cover up Theo’s murder, killing loan shark Rick Neelan, and causing Rana Habeeb’s death. Mikey acknowledges the jeopardy: “All of us in the show only know what we’re doing on a year-to-year basis and playing a character like Gary Windass probably makes that jeopardy a little bit different!”
Coronation Street airs weekdays on ITV at 8:30 PM and ITVX at 7 AM.
