10 Totally True Facts About… Mikey North (Corrie’s Gary)
lnsidesoap YOUR BRIEFING ON THE MAN BEHIND CORRIE ’S GARY…
Michael North was born on 27 September 1986 in Scarborough, to parents Martin and Karen. He grew up in Cayton with his younger sister, Sarah, and began acting in local productions at the YMCA aged 12. Mikey was discovered by an agent at the age of 18, when he was acting in a play at his sixth-form college.
In 2006, Mikey played Scott Gibbs in The Bill for one episode. This led to his role in Waterloo Road in 2007 as Helmsley, who broke into the home of Donte – played by the Dales’ Adam Thomas (aka Adam Barton).
Mikey lives in Manchester with wife Rachael Isherwood. The pair met in a bar, and two years later, Mikey proposed. They married in January 2016, and welcomed baby Archie that November. Daughter Eliza was born in September 2019.
Mikey joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2008, at the age of 22, as Gary Windass. His character arrived with plenty of attitude and immediately made an enemy of the Platt family. Later, Gary had a brief stint in the Army, but returned to the Street after being injured. To date, Gary has fathered two sons – Jake and Zack – with two different women. More recently, it was revealed that he was responsible for the roof collapse that killed Rana Habeeb – as well as being the person who drove Derek Milligan to go on a dramatic shooting rampage on Christmas Day. “People often call me a murderer and even cross the road when they see me!” laughs Mikey. “Things have really picked up for me at Corrie, and I’ve never been happier. I’ve graduated from playing chavs to a murderous villain.”
As a boy, Mikey had a very special hero! “I was a big watcher of Fireman Sam when I was really small,” the star tells us. “My room was decorated with Fireman Sam stuff. I also loved watching Home and Away. If I can manage to get my Australian accent down, I might transfer one day – but don’t tell Corrie!”
Mikey has become friends with lots of cast mates, but has bonded with one man in particular. “My best mate in the whole world is Ian Puleston-davies, who played Owen [Armstrong],” he grins. “He was even best man at my wedding! I miss him not being around, but I still catch up with him.”
While Mikey has been blessed with acting skills, he also reveals that he’s a gifted sportsman. “I suppose cricket would be my hidden talent,” shares the star. “I played for Yorkshire when I was 15 – and to quite a high level.”
It seems that Mikey has a royal lookalike – he often gets mistaken for Prince Harry by his own son! “My little boy Archie sees Prince Harry on the TV and he always thinks that it’s me!” chuckles the actor. “But I take it as a huge compliment – well, unless Harry has been found to have been seeing my missus behind my back! I’ve not thought about that before, actually – now I’m really paranoid!”
Despite having lots of fans from Corrie, Mikey tells us he has some idols too. “I bumped into Gordon Ramsay once, and he’s my hero,” gushes the star. “I love cooking and trying out his dishes at home – although I try not to abuse my staff like he does!” fairly regular – much to the dismay of my wife. She wakes up and I’m not there, because I’ve gone for a wander!”
Gary most likely has difficulty sleeping due to his guilty conscience – and Mikey tells us he has trouble getting some kip, too, albeit for different reasons. “I’m a badsleep walker,” he explains. “I get up to all sorts – I’ve even been known to leave the house in my pants! I’ve been sleepwalking since I was small, and it kind of happens in waves, but it’s