Coronation Street stars Olivia Frances-Brown and Jonathan Howard have confirmed their romance with a holiday in Ibiza, following their respective splits. The pair, who played villains Jodie Ramsey and Carl Webster on the ITV soap, were seen on a couples holiday with Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas and his fiancée Jess Bell.
Romance blossoms after on-screen villainy
Olivia and Jonathan previously played two of Weatherfield's most rotten residents, both surviving a 'whodunnit' storyline. The foursome enjoyed the island sun, with the excitement of a new romance leaving them 'practically glowing'.
In May, Olivia ended her engagement to James Nelson-Joyce and wiped her social media of any reference to him. Jonathan also recently split from his wife Elodie Yung, with whom he shares a daughter, after more than a decade together.
Social media hints and comments
Jess commented on Jonathan's carousel of Ibiza snaps: 'Best weekend ever! So happy and grateful you invited yourself along', while Jamie added: 'Unreal weekend'.
A source told The Sun about Olivia and James' split: 'It's finished. They were a rock-solid showbiz couple, and their fans will be absolutely shocked and devastated', adding that the couple had been 'struggling to make time in their diaries for each other.' Another source said: 'Jonathan and Elodie separated over a year ago and remain close friends and co parents.'
Ex-partners' careers and family life
James is known for roles in Mount Pleasant, Little Boy Blue, The Nest, A Town Called Malice and This City Is Ours. Elodie is known for Daredevil, The Cleaning Lady, The Hitman's Bodyguard, Gods of Egypt and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Jonathan and Elodie lived apart, with him in the UK for Coronation Street and her in Los Angeles. Jonathan previously spoke about the difficulty of being separated from his daughter on Loose Women: 'The hardest part of this job is the heartbreak, I feel, for, you know, not being with my daughter every day.' He added that she visited him in the summer, staying at his mum's house in Lancashire.
Characters' contrasting paths
While Carl Webster is wracked with guilt over his misdemeanours and wants to turn over a new leaf, Jodie has no such conscience, keeping the gun she stole from Carl in her trinket box filled with stolen items.
