Tina O'Brien's love life has been eerily similar to that of Sarah Platt at times - and would make a dramatic Coronation Street storyline.
The Corrie actress, who joined the cast of the ITV soap at the age of 16, experienced heartache, blazing rows and a devastating split before finding the love of her life.
Sarah had a relationship with Todd Grimshaw before they split and she moved on with his brother Jason, and life imitated art as Tina also had off-screen relationships with the Grimshaw lads.
When she was 17, Tina's chemistry with Bruno Langley, who played her character's boyfriend Todd, spilled into real life and they had a one-year romance.
Once that came to a natural ended she started dating Bruno's pal and on-screen brother Ryan Thomas, which required the trio to carefully manage their feelings.
"It was five months later when I got together with Ryan and I was worried about it as he's a friend of Bruno. But we worked hard to make sure there wasn't any tension between the three of us," Tina told The Mirror in 2007.
In a strange twist of fate, Tina actually first fell for Ryan when she was a 13-year-old at a Saturday drama club in Manchester.
They were co-stars and had to kiss but she didn't fancy him - and there was no instant attraction when they were thrown together again on the set of Corrie in 2003.
Eventually Tina started to warm to Ryan and after a night out they had a romantic kiss goodnight on a doorstep.
"We didn't start going out with each other because we didn't want to become a couple and lose our friendship," said Tina.
"It was very, very hard because I liked him. We both tried to fight it. We must have really liked each other because we did it anyway, it was quite natural."
Things soon turned serious and they became an official couple, but their loving relationship was also tempestuous.
Tina admitted they got into a lot of arguments - with her pet hate being Ryan's poor timekeeping.
"When we first started going out we were always arguing. I have a really bad temper and we had big fall-outs," said Tina in 2007.
"We had a massive row once at his place when he had the builders in. They must have thought I was mental because I was screaming at the top of my lungs at him, 'Why don't you eff off.'
"I don't even know what we argued about. It was always over the smallest of things. "We never split up but I did occasionally say, 'That's it, I'm never speaking to you again!'
"We still have big, big rows but we haven't had one for a while. We don't let things get to us now as we talk about what's making us unhappy. We're like an old married couple."
Tina confessed they have stolen a few kisses in the green room of the Manchester soap, but the pair usually left their relationship at the gates.
The actress agonised for months over her decision to quit after she realised she wanted to explore life away from Weatherfield.
She left Corrie in 2007, but said not working alongside her boyfriend and seeing him less would make the time they did have together more special.
"Ryan has been really good about me leaving. At first he wanted me to stay but he realises now that it will be good for me - and for both of us," said Tina shortly after her soap exit.
"I love working with him and I will miss it but it will make our relationship stronger."
She added: "Ryan and me are for keeps. I think we'll be together for ever, fingers crossed. I don't see myself with anyone else."
A year later the couple's daughter, Scarlet was born, but their relationship came to a devastating end just months before her first birthday.
"He said he didn't love me any more," Tina told new! magazine, admitting they had struggled with the new dynamic of parenthood.
"He said I didn't do it for him any more. Those were his words. I was absolutely devastated. He said he didn't want the responsibility of a relationship with me."
Admitting she begged him to change his mind, she said Ryan refused to 'fix' their six-year romance.
"Ryan can be a very loving and nice guy, but he can also be laddy. He was keen to go out a lot," she added.
Tina eventually rejoined Corrie in 2015 and Ryan departed the following year, heading Down Under to star in Neighbours.
Despite the bitter split, they managed to build bridges and Tina even invited Ryan to her wedding to new man Adam Crofts in 2018.
Tina started seeing Adam in 2011 and three years later they welcomed baby boy Beau.
It seems Ryan has a strong relationship with the pair, having previously said: "Adam is cool, he's just a lovely guy."
"As a stepfather in Scarlett's life, I've hit the jackpot. She adores him."
While Tina praised her ex and husband for making things work for the sake of Scarlett - and they even spent a Christmas together.
"It’s taken a lot of years and a lot of biting my tongue. Seriously, though, it’s mainly down to Adam and Ryan," she said.
"It helps that everyone has moved on and is in a happy place. Ryan is really happy and we are happy, so there aren’t any issues.
"For the sake of Scarlett, it has been well worth preserving [our relationship] and choosing our battles."
Meanwhile, Ryan is engaged to former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, who he met on Bear Gryll's Celebrity Island in 2017.
Their son, Roman Ravello Thomas, was born in March last year, which means Scarlett has a younger brother on both sides of her family.
It seems Tina and Lucy also get on well, as they interact together on social media.
In 2019, Ryan shared a picture of Scarlett at a nail salon and wrote: "So mummy puts nail varnish on, daddy takes it off."
Lucy quickly replied: "So mean!!!!!!", while Tina then responded saying: "@lucymeck1 Don’t worry the three of us can go next time and get matching nails and tattoos."
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV
