Coronation Street and Shameless star Rebecca Ryan has shared the news that she’s welcomed a “beautiful baby girl” into the world.
The actress – who has most-recently starred as Lydia Chambers on Manchester-based soap Coronation Street, and is also known for playing Debbie Gallagher on cult-classic Channel 4 sitcom Shameless – announced back in December 2022 that she was expecting her first child with her husband Dan Acraman.
The 31-year-old, who is also known for her roles on BBC drama series’ Waterloo Road and Casualty throughout her career, shared the news of her daughter’s birth on Instagram yesterday.
She has also revealed her daughter’s name publicly for the first time.
Taking to Instagram to share the birth announcement with her over 73,000 followers, Rebecca simply wrote: “Welcome to the world my beautiful baby girl Aurora.”
In just less that 24 hours since sharing the news, Rebecca has been met with tens of thousands of likes and interactions, as well as hundreds of comments from famous faces, celebrity friends, and fans passing on their well-wishes to the new mum.
Coronation Street stars Elle Mulvaney, Mollie Gallagher, Julia Goulding, and Harriet Bibby are among some of the famous names to send their congratulations, while fellow actors Chelsea Halfpenny, Michael Stevenson, and Kimberley Hart-Simpson have also passed publicly passed on their congratulations.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Omg, the cutest. So so happy for you,” Elle Mulvaney wrote.
“Massive congratulations,” Mollie Gallagher wrote, while Julia Goulding added: “Huge Congratulations, she’s beautiful,” and Harriet Bibby said: “Congratulations Rebecca! She is absolutely beautiful.”
Rebecca and her husband Dan Acraman / Credit: Rebecca Ryan (via Instagram)
Rebecca’s younger brother and fellow Coronation Street actor, Jack James Ryan, also commented to call his newborn niece his “new best mate”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ahead of the birth, Rebecca also took to social media a couple of weeks ago to share how excited she was for her daughter’s arrival.
She wrote on Instagram: “3 weeks till we meet you little one. I am so in love with you already. Hurry up baby, I can’t wait to see your little face and spend the rest of my life protecting and loving you with all my heart.”
Greg Davies and Alex Horne to host Taskmaster live on stage in Manchester
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Think you’ve got what it takes to impress the Taskmaster?
Global comedy gameshow sensation, Taskmaster, is set to bring its multi award-winning chaos to Manchester next year, as its first (and only) UK performance ever. Aren’t we lucky?
Following the show‘s roaring success in the USA earlier this year, Taskmaster Live On Stage is set to return in 2027, for two shows only – one taking over our very-own AO Arena, and the other being held at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Audiences can expect a high-energy and hilarious show from the one and only Taskmaster, Greg Davies, and his trusty sidekick Alex Horne, joined by some very special celebrity guests as live contestants.
To give you a flavour of what’s to come, Taskmaster Live On Stage was previously joined by comedians such as Jason Manztoukas, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, and Lisa Gilroy, so we can expect a similar star-studded special guestlist next year.
Alongside three celebrities, the remaining live contestant places will be available to two lucky audience members, who will have a chance to impress the Taskmaster.
Don’t worry if you’re not selected though, as there’ll also be brand-new special stage tasks for the entire audience to get involved with, and the Taskmaster will then judge the efforts of these brave souls to crown one as the Mancunian Taskmaster Live On Stage Champion – quite the mouthful, we know.
“I am thrilled that my tiny assistant and I are to bring Taskmaster to such illustrious venues,” commented Taskmaster Greg Davies.
“Whilst on one hand it feels daunting, on the other it feels like destiny. Rest assured my judgements will remain even handed and every effort will be made for everyone to have a good time, except Alex.”
Taskmaster Live On Stage will be coming to Manchester’s AO Arena next May.
Pre-sale tickets will be exclusively offered to the Taskmaster mailing list on 14 October, while general sale tickets will be released on Friday 16 October, and you can sign up to the mailing list for pre-sale access HERE.
Featured Image – Supplied
TV & Showbiz
Celebrity chef James Martin closes Manchester restaurant after more than a decade
Daisy Jackson
James Martin Manchester has closed its doors, bringing an end to the chef’s decade-long restaurant partnership with casino Manchester235.
Metropolitan Gaming announced on 1 October that its partnership with James Martin and his team had concluded, with the restaurant operation at the city centre venue ending on the same day.
The partnership dates back to 2012, meaning James Martin Manchester had been part of the Manchester235 experience for more than 14 years.
During that time, the restaurant became an established part of the venue’s food and drink offering, with Metropolitan Gaming describing the collaboration as ‘successful and valued’.
The company also credited James Martin and his team with contributing to Manchester’s wider food and dining scene, as well as providing high-quality dining for Manchester235 guests.
Maxine Gibbons, Venue Director at Manchester235, thanked the chef and his team for their contribution to the venue.
She said: “Our partnership with James Martin and his team has been an important part of Manchester235’s story since 2012.
“We would like to thank James and everyone who has been part of the James Martin Manchester team over the years for their commitment, hard work and the memorable experiences they have created for our guests.”
Gibbons added that the team had made a ‘significant contribution’ to Manchester235’s food and beverage experience and wished James Martin and his colleagues ‘every success for the future’.
The closure will not result in affected employees losing their jobs, with Metropolitan Gaming confirming that any employees impacted by the restaurant’s closure have been retained within the business.
Customers with existing restaurant reservations will also be contacted directly by Manchester235 regarding cancellations.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd May 2023 
