Mikey North, known for his long-running role as Gary Windass on Coronation Street, has a famous wife in actress Rachael Isherwood. The couple, who married in 2016, share two children and have a compelling love story that includes a harrowing birth experience.
Mikey North's Coronation Street Journey
Mikey joined the ITV soap in 2008 as Gary Windass, part of the Windass family including mum Anna (Debbie Rush). He quickly became a fan favourite, involved in major storylines from romances to a PTSD battle. Recently, Gary was a suspect in the murder of Theo Silverton (James Cartwright), but the June 22 episode revealed Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) as the killer, with Gary helping cover it up.
Romance with Rachael Isherwood
Away from the cobbles, Mikey's life is less dramatic. He met Rachael Isherwood, a fitness instructor and actress, three years before their 2016 wedding. Rachael appeared in the 2011 Hollywood blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger as a USO dancer, according to MCU Fandom. The couple have two children: son Archie, born in 2017, and daughter Eliza, born in 2019.
Traumatic Birth of Son Archie
Archie's birth on November 10, 2016, was traumatic. Rachael required an episiotomy that cut through a vein, causing a loss of one and a half litres of blood, nearly necessitating a transfusion. She told 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.” She was placed on a drip to accelerate contractions, which she described as more excruciating than anything she had experienced. Mikey recalled: “She was throwing up with the pain. I had tears in my eyes just watching.” After 20 hours, Archie arrived weighing 8lb 5oz. Mikey likened the scene to a “chainsaw massacre”.
Proposal and Wedding
Mikey proposed during a romantic getaway in the Lake District in 2015. He told OK!: “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?'” He added: “In the moment before I proposed I was shaking like a leaf. Then when she said yes, I called my mum and just couldn't stop crying.” The wedding in 2016 was attended by Corrie stars including Bruno Langley (Todd Grimshaw), Sam Ashton (Chesney Brown), and Ian Puleston-Davis (Owen Armstrong) as best man. Mikey admitted: “Rachael looked amazing. I'm known for letting my emotions run away with me, so I was really concentrating on trying not to cry.”
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
