ITV Share By Laura Morgan Oct 13 2025 By Laura Morgan Oct 13 2025 Catherine Tyldesley in Coronation Street: Co-star best friend, children and the 'cake-gate' drama The soap fave can sing, dance and act and she's on her way back to Weatherfield Catherine Tyldesley Share By Laura Morgan Oct 13 2025 By Laura Morgan Oct 13 2025 Manchester-born actress Catherine Tyldesley rose to fame playing barmaid Eva Price in ITV’s Coronation Street. During her seven-year stint on the cobbles, Catherine became a household name and one of the soap’s most popular stars. After quitting the soap back in 2018, Catherine is reprising her role as Eva and will be returning to her rightful place, behind the bar of the Rovers Return. She’ll also be back working with her Corrie co-star best friend. But who are they? And what else is there to know about Catherine? Who is the actress married to? Does she have any children? What dramatic transformation did she undergo? And what really went on with that ‘cake gate’ scandal? Article Continues Below Read all the latest Spoilers We’ve got all you need to know about her… So who is Catherine Tyldesley? Catherine Tyldesley is a British actress known to millions for playing Eva Price in Coronation Street. She trained at the Birmingham School of Acting, and graduated in 2005. Her first TV role followed the year after. Before landing her role in Coronation Street she starred in two episodes of BBC medical drama Holby City. Her other credits include Doctors, Shameless and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. How old is Catherine Tyldesley? Catherine Tyldesley is 42 years old. She was born Catherine Mary Ann Tyldesley on September 17, 1983 in Walkden, Greater Manchester. Catherine Tyldesley has starred in a rival soap A year before she landed her role in Corrie, Catherine starred in three episodes of rival soap Emmerdale. She played the part of Abi Peterson, a prison guard who befriended regular character Ryan Lamb (played by now-Hollyoaks star James Sutton). Ryan was in prison after being framed for the murder of his dad Mark Wylde. After almost sharing a kiss, Abi risked her career by lending Ryan a phone to call his mum. In the end Abi had to move prisons after she was reported by Ryan’s vengeful brother Nathan. Catherine made her Coronation Street debut in 2011 (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Eva Price in Coronation Street Catherine landed her dream role in 2011 when she was cast to play Eva Price in Coronation Street. Eva was introduced as the feisty daughter of new Rovers landlady Stella Price (played by EastEnders icon Michelle Collins). She’s also the half-sister of Leanne Battersby. From the word go it was clear Eva was a handful. She was spoilt, high maintenance and a total drama queen. After landing a job at the Bistro, Eva began dating her boss Nick Tilsley. The romance turned sour when Eva wrongly accused Nick of cheating with Kylie Platt. She had flings with Jason Grimshaw and Rob Donovan, but still pined for Nick – who had moved on with Leanne. Eva was temporarily written out of the soap in 2015 when Catherine went on maternity leave. She returned five months later. Her job at Underworld led to romance with factory owner Aidan Connor. They became engaged but then Eva discovered Aidan was having an affair with Maria Connor. Eva took her revenge by faking a pregnancy. The truth all came out on Eva and Aidan’s wedding day, but they ended up getting hitched. In a shock twist Eva did actually get pregnant by Aidan. She gave birth to a baby girl called Susie, who she initially gave to childless Toyah. After Aidan tragically took his own life, Eva embarked on a mission to get reclaim their daughter. In 2018, Eva and Susie left Weatherfield for a new life in France. Who is her Corrie bestie? Catherine counts Corrie co-star Anthony Cotton (aka Sean Tully) as one of her closest friends. They first met because Catherine went to school with Anthony’s husband Peter Eccleston. In 2015, Anthony revealed Cath (as he calls the actress) had asked him and Peter to be her stand-in birthing partners, in case her fiancé Tom fainted. Speaking to The Mirror, Anthony shared: “Me and Peter are going to be like armed guards at either side of the door when she pushes. We’re on stand-by just in case Tom faints.” He also revealed Catherine was sending him daily updates on her pregnancy. “Most days I get an update on various ablutions and elements of being pregnant. She’s not frightened about telling me exactly what’s going on at all times.” Catherine Tyldesley and husband Tom Pitfield (Credit: Can Nguyen/Shutterstock) Is Catherine Tyldesley married with children? Catherine is married to Tom Pitfield, a photographer and co-founder of Brood magazine. They met in 2014 at a gym where Tom was working as an instructor. The couple married on May 21, 2016 in a ceremony held in Colshaw Hall, Cheshire. Catherine and Tom have two children together. They welcomed son Alfie on March 18, 2015, while Catherine was still working at Corrie. Their daughter Iris was born on April 21, 2022. Catherine announced the happy arrival on her Instagram account. Her post read: “We are so happy to announce that our beautiful daughter has arrived. We are grateful beyond words and feel overjoyed that our family is complete.” Catherine Tyldesley – how she turned her life around Catherine has often spoken about her passion for exercise and the importance of an active lifestyle. At the age of 18, Catherine weighed 15 stone and was a size 22. She then embarked on a diet and fitness regime and shed over eight stone. In 2023, Catherine wrote a post on social media about the benefits she feels from working out. She wrote: “Having children means I want to give them the best version of me, and I want to live for as long as I can.” “I train and eat well for me AND them. So I’m mentally and physically strong for whatever role I play next. I train so I can feel good about myself.” Eva with her baby Susie (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Why did Catherine Tyldesley leave Coronation Street? In 2018, Catherine announced she was leaving Corrie after an action-packed seven years. Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine at the time, the actress explained the reasons behind her decision: “I’ve been there seven years, I felt it was time for a change,” she shared. “We want to do a bit of travelling in between new projects. My little boy is three so he will be able to see a bit more of mummy, hopefully. So family time and new projects, I’m really excited.” What else has she been in? While some stars fade into obscurity after they leave the world of soap, Catherine has been in demand. In 2019 she had lead roles in BBC sitcom Scarborough and Channel 5 drama 15 days. She followed this success up with another main part, this time playing Kate Tuckman in Viewpoint. Catherine now has an episode of iconic ITV series Midsomer Murders and McDonald and Dodds under her belt. Since 2023 she’s played the role of First Officer Kate Woods in The Good Ship Murder on Channel 5, alongside her former Corrie co-star Shayne Ward. Catherine was teamed up Johannes on Strictly (Credit: Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock) Catherine Tyldesley on Strictly Come Dancing Catherine was a member of the Strictly Come Dancing class of 2019. Her fellow contestants included footballer Alex Scott, comedian Chris Ramsey and eventual series winner Kelvin Fletcher. Catherine was partnered with fan favourite Johannes Radebe. Ahead of the competition, the nervous actress admitted: “I’ve got no dance experience and I’m very clumsy, so it’s going to be pretty interesting.” Catherine and Jo Jo made it to Halloween Week, but were eliminated when their Cha-Cha-Cha failed to meet the mark. Catherine gave a very memorable performance (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Is she a singer? Yes! Catherine is a talented songstress and released her debut album Rise in 2016. In December 2021 she took part in – and won – ITV’s All Stars Musicals. Catherine wowed audiences with her rendition of Memory from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. Last year, Catherine made her musical theatre debut in a touring production of Bonnie & Clyde The Musical. Catherine Tyldesley and the ‘Cake-gate’ drama In August 2023, Catherine found herself caught up in a media storm – all over a birthday cake. Claims were made that a party planner NVRLND (on behalf of Catherine) had asked bakery owner Rebecca Severs to make two large cakes and 100 cupcakes for her 40th birthday party in exchange for publicity. Severs expressed her annoyance via Facebook. But Catherine hit back saying she wasn’t aware of any emails being sent and that NVRLND had been misrepresented. Is she on Instagram? Yes! Corrie star Catherine Tyldesley has an official Instagram account @auntiecath17, where she shares photos and updates of her family life. Share Good to Know Share By Laura Morgan Oct 13 2025 By Laura Morgan Oct 13 2025 Previous Story Next Story