We know him best for playing Jim McDonald in Coronation Street, but actor Charlie Lawson is about to take centre stage for an entirely different reason, as he prepares to tie the knot in a ceremony officiated by his showbiz pal Eamonn Holmes.
The 63 year old actor is due to marry his fiancée Debbie Stanley after being engaged to her for more than a decade, with GB News star Eamonn stepping in to help oversee the ceremony after a special phone call from his dear friend personally requesting his presence.
Sharing the exciting development on GB News, Eamonn told his fans: "I got a phone call from a dear friend two weeks ago whose wedding I was going to and he said to me 'We don’t just want you to go to the wedding, we want you to conduct the ceremony’.”
“I’m going to marry Charlie Lawson – Jim McDonald from Coronation Street. So there you are. I should maybe become some sort of preacher," he added.
Although the date and location of the special day have yet to be revealed, fans couldn’t help but share their delight at the news that Charlie and Debbie would be tying the knot with the help of their celebrity pal.
But what exactly is Charlie’s life like off screen and what else has he appeared in besides Corrie?
Early Life
Born Quintin Charles Devenish "Charlie" Lawson on 17 September 1959, the budding star first started life in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
The son of a local businessman, Charlie was raised in a Protestant family and educated at Campbell College, a grammar school in Belfast.
After completing his compulsory education, Charlie discovered a keen love of performance and decided to embark on a career in acting, something which earned him a coveted place the the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
It was while studying here that he met fellow Enniskillen native Adrian Dunbar, who to this day remains a close friend of the star, even boasting that he was the “first Catholic he had ever met.”
TV Career
During his career, Charlie has appeared in three films and over twenty television productions, but by far his most iconic role to date is as Jim McDonald in Coronation Street.
Taking on the role in 1989, Charlie starred as a soap regular for over 11 years, before parting the show for pastures new.
He did return however on numerous occasions for short stints on the soap, including most recently in 2018.
On Corrie alone, Charlie has appeared in a whopping 1168 episodes to date!
It isn’t just the cobbles however that have helped Charlie carve a name for himself in the showbiz industry, as he has also appeared in Bread, Holby City, The Bill and even Dalziel and Pascoe over the years.
Personal Life
Away from the limelight, Charlie has found love three times, and been married twice before.
His first marriage was to a woman named Suzie, with the couple going on to have a daughter together, Laura, before divorcing in 1994.
His second marriage was to the makeup artist Lesley Bond, although sadly Lesley passed away in 2010, sometime after the couple had already called time on their relationship.
He is currently happily engaged to Debbie Stanley, with the smitten couple having dated and lived together for well over a decade before deciding to finally tie the knot in the coming weeks.
The couple currently live in Belfast, having previously resided in Chester for a number of years.
Health Struggle
Despite enjoying a prolific career and finding the love of his life, Charlie hasn’t always lived an idyllic life, as he was previously caught up in a terrifying health scare after he suffered a stroke while performing live on stage.
On 8 October 2018, Charlie suffered a mini stroke while portraying Inspector John Rebus in the play Rebus: Long Shadows in Edinburgh.
Although he was able to recover from the ordeal shortly afterwards, Charlie did previously reveal that the stroke had left him with hearing difficulties in one ear, alongside suffering from erectile dysfunction.
“I feel lucky to be alive, I was so scared I couldn't stop crying,” he told the BBC.
Thankfully, however, Charlie was able to make a full recovery.
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