Actress Katherine Kelly, best known for starring in Coronation Street and Mr Selfridge, is taking the lead in the new crime thriller series The Crow Girl.
Launching on Paramount+, the series dropped on Thursday, January 16 and is a suspenseful tale spun from Erik Axl Sund’s novel.
DCI Jeanette Kilburn, portrayed by Eve Miles, joins forces with psychotherapist Dr Sophia Craven, played by Kelly, as they pursue a merciless killer preying on young men.
As Katherine Kelly takes centre stage in this six-episode drama, fans are eager to delve into the life of the star.
Parents
Kelly was born into a family of performers in November 1979, in Barnsley.
She is the eldest of four children to Irish parents with her father having immigrated from Ireland at the tender age of four. By 15, he was working hard in the Yorkshire coal mines,.
Yet, when her parents weren’t doing their day jobs, they explored their passion for music.
Actress Katherine Kelly played Becky Granger in Coronation Street for six years.
(Image: ITV)
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Opening up to The Sunday Post, Kelly reminisced: “They both had proper jobs my mum in NHS offices and my dad became a nurse after mining but they were club singers and would do it every weekend. It was good money.
“My dad’s untrained but could play the guitar and banjo, saying it was down to his Irish genetics, and mum has a beautiful voice.
“When kids came along I’m the oldest of four it wasn’t conducive to having a big family, so they moved into am-dram.
“Me and my brothers would go along to watch it was a way of not having to get babysitters and I remember sitting in church halls watching all these musicals. Eventually, we joined in.”
Coronation Street
Her journey took her from local amateur dramatics to the cobbled streets of Coronation Street, showcasing her versatility across diverse roles and genres.
Kelly soared to fame when she landed the role of Becky Granger on ITV’s Coronation Street, captivating audiences for six years until her departure in 2012.
At 45, Kelly reveals that had she known the duration of her stint on the cobbles, she might have declined the opportunity to join Coronation Street.
She shared: “I had been offered another season at the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company), but I didn’t want to be pigeonholed to classical theatre, so I said to my agent in London that I’d never been seen for Coronation Street or Emmerdale.
“My agent said, ‘Do you want to see them?’ They presumed I wouldn’t be interested, but that’s what I grew up watching. My dad’s Irish and Corrie is huge in the south of Ireland.
“A role came up, it was only about a dozen episodes, and I said perfect.
“If I’d realised how long it was going to be I probably would have said no, because I like to keep moving around.
“But my nan had been saying I was at the RAC when I was with the RSC and now, being on Corrie, she could work out what I was doing.”
Love life
The actress, known for her role in Mr Selfridge, was previously married to IT consultant Ryan Clark. The couple celebrated their union with a Las Vegas wedding in 2013.
They welcomed their first child, Orla, in 2014, and their second daughter, Rose, arrived two years later.
Actress Katherine Kelly is in a relationship with actor Tony Pitts.
(Image: GETTY)
Unfortunately, Kelly and Ryan decided to go their separate ways in 2020, though the reasons behind their split remain private.
Kelly, known for her role in The Crow Girl, has been dating Line of Duty star Tony Pitts since 2022. The pair reportedly met while working together on a short film titled Affection in 2019.
Pitts, who played DCS Les Hargreaves in the ITV drama, has also starred as Edgar Massinger in Jamestown and Richard Alderson in All Creatures Great and Small. He celebrated his 62nd birthday in October 2024, making him 17 years older than Kelly.
Accident
However, life hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the actress. At the age of 19, she suffered an accident at a friend’s house where she fell through a door and hit her coccyx, the bone at the base of the spine, on the corner of a table.
Initially, she didn’t think much of it until a few months later during a family camping trip when she found herself unable to get out of a sleeping bag.
The problem persisted when she returned to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, with her flatmate having to help her out of bed.
She sought medical help and was referred to a physiotherapist and later an osteopath.
Despite this, she struggled with the pain for the next 18 months, relying on migraine tablets sent by her mother and regular visits to the physio and osteopath.
She said: “I couldn’t predict when it would hit. It was almost like I was lying, as one day I was in pain and the next I wasn’t. I knew I’d have to leave drama school.”
She was on the brink of leaving when RADA came to her rescue, agreeing to cover the costs for her physiotherapy sessions.
Kelly has since praised her physio, Kevin Ludlow, for completely transforming her life: “If I hadn’t found him, I would have had an operation. I had a conversation with one professional about a wheelchair.”
What’s next
Kelly’s IMDb profile reveals that she is set to appear in the upcoming series ‘In Flight’, which features a cast that includes Stuart Martin from ‘Babylon’, Ambreen Razia of ‘The Agency’, and ‘Hollyoaks’ actress Bronagh Waugh.
The show’s plot, currently under production, is described as follows: “Jo Conran’s son is imprisoned for a murder he denies.
“A gang blackmails her into smuggling, pushing her into a world of corruption and violence to save her child’s life.”
The Crow Girl is available to watch on Paramount+.