Coronation Street actress Farrel Hegarty is back on the soap playing Lou Michaelis
Coronation Street actress Farrel Hegarty is back on the soap playing Lou Michaelis
Joe Crutchley Screen Time reporter
17:40, 10 Feb 2026Updated 17:41, 10 Feb 2026
With Coronation Street’s Lou Michaelis returning to our screens this week, here’s all you need to know about the actress behind the character, Farrel Hegarty.
The troublesome mother-of-three Lou arrived in Weatherfield back in February 2025 alongside her thug husband Mick (Joe Layton). After settling into Mawdsley Street, the problematic pair wasted no time in stirring up chaos on the iconic cobbles.
Come May, Mick was responsible for the brutal killing of Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) in a shocking alcohol-fuelled assault. Subsequently, Lou’s own horrifying behaviour was uncovered when she attacked Gary Windass (Miley North) with a metal pole following his refusal to take part in her desperate plot to extort cash from him.
Her secret was ultimately revealed and she was arrested and imprisoned – last appearing on screen in July. This week, however, Lou made her return to the programme when it emerged she had been appointed as a mentor to help new prisoner Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney).
So, with Lou back on Coronation Street, we’re delving into actress Farrel Hegarty’s life beyond the cobbles, reports the Mirror.
Previous soap appearance
Farrel is well accustomed to television work. Beyond Corrie, she has starred alongside Michelle Keegan, famous for her role as Tina in Coronation Street, in Sky’s comedy series Brassic.
It also emerges that she featured on competing soap Emmerdale in 2014, portraying Laura Atkinson. Interestingly, Farrel had a stint on Coronation Street years before her role as Lou.
She portrayed a journalist who arrived on the street following the Christmas shooting in 2019, eager to get the inside story on the previous night’s fatal event.
“I played a reporter in 2019. It was in the Boxing Day episode, I think I had to say my name and it was just reporter 1!” Farrel previously shared.
However, Farrel disclosed that she had also set foot on the iconic cobbled street even earlier, when she was merely five years old. Recalling her encounter with Corrie legend Barbara Knox, who plays Rita, she said: “I got a picture of me and her when I was like five, when I came to the Corrie tour.”
Reflecting on her early soap work and securing the role as Lou, she expressed: “It feels like a full circle moment which makes it even more exciting. But this is definitely my first big role.”
Farrel’s girlfriend in Australia
Off Coronation Street, Farrel is in a romantic relationship with Tricia Stone, who resides in Sydney. She has previously opened up about the challenges of their long-distance love affair.
“It’s an expensive relationship,” she confessed to Daily Telegraph. Farrel added: “Originally, before I got the show, I was going to move here [ Australia ]. But then I got the job and had to stay in the UK. I definitely could live here.”
The soap actress also admitted she is uncertain if the UK is where she envisions herself in the long run. She stated: “I don’t think I will settle there forever,” she said.
“Basically my girlfriend’s already said to me that she doesn’t want to be there, she sees herself in Australia at the end of her life.”
Farrel on long-distance romance
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In a twist of fate, Farrel revealed last year that she was faced with a life-altering decision when an offer to join Coronation Street came just as she was preparing to relocate to Australia with her partner.
Reflecting on this crucial juncture, she said: “Either way, my life was about to go in a different direction, as I knew I’d either be going to Australia or joining Coronation Street.”
She acknowledged the significance of the choice before her, stating: “I knew if I got the role, then it was my time. Having a long-distance relationship is definitely not for the faint-hearted but my partner was never going to be angry that I was going to be in Corrie.”
Her partner’s understanding and support were instrumental, as Farrel noted: “She knows how much it meant to me and how tough it has been.”
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX
