Jack P Shepherd has revealed the 'most challenging' moment in his 26-year tenure on Coronation Street: the death of his on-screen wife Kylie Platt, played by Paula Lane. The 38-year-old actor, who has portrayed David Platt since 2000, shared behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram to mark the 10th anniversary of the harrowing episode broadcast in July 2016.
David Platt's traumatic journey
Shepherd took over the role from original actor Thomas Ormson and has been central to numerous dramatic storylines. David first appeared when his sister Sarah (Tina O'Brien) discovered she was pregnant at 13. Later, his stepfather Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) became a serial killer and attempted to drown the family in a canal, trauma that turned David into a teenage tearaway. He found his first girlfriend in Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and later endured prison, but found happiness with Kylie Platt (Paula Lane), with whom he had a daughter, Lily, in 2013.
The 'most challenging' storyline
The couple's marriage ended tragically in July 2016 when Kylie was stabbed to death by teenage drug dealer Clayton Hibbs while defending her friend Gemma. On the anniversary, Shepherd wrote on Instagram: '10 yrs ago, we said goodbye to Kylie Platt, here's some behind the scenes pictures and vids. It was a great story and the most channelling story I've played [heartbreak emoji] forever missed.' He included black-and-white photos of himself and Lane on set at MediaCityUK in Manchester.
Paula Lane's reaction
Lane commented on Shepherd's post: 'Our song was on the radio the other day and every time it reminds me... Lana Del Rey - video games. Yep we were great!' She had joined the soap in 2010 as half-sister of Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly). Since leaving, she has appeared in Call The Midwife and toured in Kinky Boots. More recently, she joined Emmerdale as villainous Ella Forster from 2025 until 2025. Lane has three children with husband Tom Shaw, including Arthur, 11, and Penny, nine, and gave birth to their third child in January 2026.
Behind the decision to kill Kylie
Lane admitted on the Soap from the Box podcast that the decision to kill Kylie came as a 'shock'. She said: 'I felt very strongly that I wanted to go but I was kind of up for maybe having Penny and then coming back for a bit but I think they felt that muddied the water a little bit. They came to the conclusion that they wanted a clean exit.' She added: 'I don't think it was across the board - the writers were very torn by all accounts with what they wanted to do. It was Stuart Blackburn, the producer at the time, who made the call and said "We're gonna kill her off". I was so shocked. I was heartbroken.'
David Platt is now married to Clayton's mother, Shona Platt (Julia Goulding), a decade after Kylie's death.
