Following in the footsteps of Claire King and Les Dennis, another famous face is about to step on to the cobbles of Coronation Street.
Casualty actor Tristan Gemmill will join the cast of the ITV soap as Tracy’s ex-hubby Robert Preston, after signing a year’s contract.
Robert takes a grieving Tracy (Kate Ford) by surprise when he turns up to her mum Deirdre Barlow’s funeral, and she quickly falls back into his arms.
But she is in for a shock when his second wife arrives in Weatherfield looking for her husband.
Tracy married Robert – originally played by Julian Kay – in 1996, but they divorced after she had an affair in 2002.
Kate Ford as Tracy Barlow in Corrie (ITV)
Tristan is best known for playing consultant Adam Trueman in BBC medical drama Casualty for five years until 2011, and has also appeared in London’s Burning, Death In Paradise and Atlantis.
He said: “I’m excited to be joining such an iconic show. Coronation Street is a great British institution and it will be a huge challenge to meet the expectations of its devoted audience. But it is a challenge I am really looking forward to.”
Tristan will begin filming on the cobbles this week and will appear on screen from July, when Robert lands a job at Nick Tilsley’s Bistro.
Corrie producer Stuart Blackburn said: “Tristan is a fantastic and classy actor who will bring a real gravitas to the role of Robert Preston. We’re all delighted to have him on board and I can’t wait to see him striding down those famous cobbles.”
