Mikey North's Off-Screen Life: Family, Drama and Personal Struggles
While Coronation Street fans know Mikey North as the long-standing character Gary Windass, his life away from the cobbles reveals a compelling story of family, personal challenges, and unexpected phobias. The actor, who joined the ITV soap in 2008, has built a career filled with dramatic storylines, but his real-life narrative is equally captivating.
A Stable Family Life with Famous Wife
Beyond the dramatic twists of Weatherfield, Mikey North enjoys a considerably more stable domestic life. He is married to actress and fitness instructor Rachael Isherwood, with whom he tied the knot in 2016 after meeting three years earlier. The couple shares two children: a son named Archie, born in 2016, and a daughter named Eliza, born in 2019.
Rachael Isherwood is no stranger to the spotlight herself, having secured a role in the Hollywood blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, where she played a USO dancer. Mikey's proposal to Rachael was a romantic moment during a getaway in the Lake District in 2015. He recalled to OK! magazine: "I asked her to shut her eyes. When she opened them I was down on one knee with the ring. I was looking up at Rachael, with my knees getting wet, and I just said: 'Will you marry me?'"
The wedding in 2016 was attended by several Coronation Street co-stars, including Bruno Langley and Sam Ashton, with Ian Puleston-Davis serving as best man. Mikey described it as an emotional day, saying: "Rachael looked amazing. I'm known for letting my emotions run away with me, so I was really concentrating on trying not to cry."
Traumatic Birth Experience with Son Archie
The birth of Mikey and Rachael's first child, Archie, on November 10, 2016, was far from straightforward. Rachael experienced a harrowing labour that nearly required a blood transfusion after an episiotomy went awry. Mikey likened the scene to a "chainsaw massacre," highlighting the severity of the situation.
Rachael disclosed to OK! magazine: "I had to have an episiotomy but unfortunately they cut through a vein and I lost one and a half litres of blood." The ordeal included being placed on a drip to accelerate contractions, which she described as more excruciating than anything she had previously endured. Mikey recalled: "She was throwing up with the pain. I had tears in my eyes just watching." Fortunately, after 20 hours, baby Archie arrived weighing 8lb 5oz.
Overcoming an Unusual Phobia
In a surprising revelation, Mikey North opened up about suffering from an uncommon phobia: a fear of driving. He postponed obtaining his licence since his teenage years, citing a move to London at age 17 where driving wasn't necessary. By 2018, at age 31, he decided to confront this fear in a very public way.
Mikey participated in All Star Driving School on television, learning to drive in front of a national audience. He told What's On TV: "It's become a bit of a phobia of mine, and so for some stupid reason I thought: 'Let's go on national television and learn how to drive in front of everyone!'" His efforts paid off when he passed his driving test, describing it as an emotional milestone. He said to MEN in 2019: "Passing my test, I've never been so nervous in all of my life... I burst into tears like a big girl. I was in floods of tears, it really was an emotional time."
Life on the Cobbles Continues
On Coronation Street, Mikey North's character Gary Windass remains central to dramatic plots, currently focused on exposing the abusive Theo Silverton. As the soap airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, fans can appreciate the contrast between Gary's turbulent life in Weatherfield and Mikey's own journey of family, resilience, and personal growth off-screen.
