Heres the full Sunday Mirror Article
EXCLUSIVE SECRETS OF CORRIE TINA'S REAL ROMANCE
By Sue Crawford
AS Coronation Street hairdresser Sarah Platt, she can't wait to dash down the aisle. But in real life actress Tina O'Brien can't imagine getting married... even though she's been dating her on-screen boyfriend Ryan Thomas for three years.
"Sarah is too young to be getting married," says Tina, 22, whose boyfriend Ryan plays her fiance Jason Grimshaw in the soap. "In her head she's doing it for the right reasons.
"She's had a baby and feels older than her years. She really loves Jason and she wants the stability of marriage and family life.
"But she's only 19 - and I wouldn't want to get married until I'm a lot older. I'm happy and content in my life and don't need anything else. I'm not anti-marriage, but it is a big thing and I'd want to wait a while before committing to it."
In real life, Tina and Ryan don't even live together. Tina has a flat in Manchester close to the Granada studios and until recently Ryan owned a house
nearby, although he is now staying with her while he looks for a new place.
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Tina says: "Ryan's crashing at mine for a bit, but we have our own places. It's great because we can see each other when we want, but it also means we've our own space.
"I love him to bits, but we are very young. We don't know what is going to happen and are just happy to go with the flow."
Tina and Ryan were dating offscreen before scriptwriters put their characters together on-screen. But Tina insists that when they are at work they are just like any other two actors doing their jobs.
She says: "In some ways it's good that we work together and are in a relationship because it means I get to learn my lines at home and I've got someone to play them against - that's fantastic.
"Obviously, it means we know each other well too, but when we are at work it's strictly professional. I totally switch off from the fact that Ryan is my boyfriend."
What perhaps makes things easier for Tina is that 21-year-old Ryan is nothing like randy builder Jason. "He's the complete opposite, which is good," Tina says. "Jason isn't that bright. Ryan has more confidence - he knows who he is and what he's about. He's also much more laid-back than Jason and a warmer person - and you'd never catch him wearing a checked builder's shirt!"
On screen, Sarah and Jason have had a rocky romance that has been off as much as on.
Single mum Sarah is keener to tie the knot than Jason - and when she heard him smugly saying he wouldn't be getting married for years, was devastated and called the whole thing off.
But tomorrow Jason turns up at her hair salon determined to make amends - and goes down on one knee to propose again, telling Sarah he has booked a register office for a fortnight's time.
This sends Sarah into a flurry of activity - and she buys a cheap pink charity shop dress, which needs to be altered to fit. "It's far too big and Hayley and Fiz help her to alter it," Tina says. "She's feeling a bit down because she can't afford anything, but it's really sweet."
Tina had a say in the outfit - the costume department bought three dresses for her to try on. "It's nothing like I would choose for myself!" she says. "But that's nice. I like the fact that it's very different from anything I would wear myself."
The screen wedding is due on August 14. But in true Coronation Street style, things don't go exactly to plan. In fact, two endings have been filmed - one in which the couple go ahead and a second where things go horribly wrong. Corrie bosses hope the dramatic will-they-won't-they storyline will have viewers on the edges of their seats.
Tina says: "Jason does love Sarah, but suddenly he's in this situation where he wonders if he can go through with it. She's probably pushed him into it a bit and it's all gone a bit fast for him. It will be fun to see which ending they go with!"
Tina joined Coronation Street in 1999. She grew up in Manchester with her parents, Tina, a teacher, and Steve, an antiques dealer. An only child, she began acting in school plays when she was 10 and joined a drama group.
"I was very energetic and used to sing and dance the whole time - I was an absolute nightmare. It was 'look at me, look at me' constantly," she laughs.
She quickly won parts in shows such as Children's Ward, Cops, Hillsborough and Clocking Off. She was just 15 she asked to audition for the part of Sarah.
For most teenagers, landing such a role would be a dream come true. But even at 15 Tina had a maturity ahead of her years and, while she was certainly excited to be joining Britain's biggest show, there were other emotions too.
"I cried for about two weeks solid," she recalls. "Not because I wasn't happy - I was the happiest person in the world - but because I knew my life was going to change.
"I knew I wouldn't be able to walk down the street any more without being recognised.
"It terrified me. My whole life was going to be turned on its head and that's a big thing to take in when you are that age. I knew I was saying goodbye to being anonymous."
When she joined the show Tina was a 16-year-old playing a 12-year-old.
That was seven years ago. And today with her flawless complexion and slight build, she is still mistaken for a teenager.
"People sometimes ask me for ID and look amazed when I say I'm 22," she says. "But not looking my age doesn't worry me. It's actually been a help when it comes to work and hopefully when I hit 40 I'll look 30." In her time in the show Sarah has had a schoolgirl pregnancy, found herself trapped in the home of an Internet stalker, was nearly killed by her stepdad, the evil Richard Hillman, and had a series of disastrous relationships.
Although the outcome of her wedding is still unknown, Tina is hoping that the future will hold more dramatic storylines for her troubled character. "When I joined Coronation Street I could never have dreamed it would take me so far," she says.
"I know nothing lasts forever, but I've been here longer than I was at high school and the thought that one day I might not be here is a scary proposition," she says. And almost as scary, at the moment, is the thought of a big white wedding.
Tina has recently attended the weddings of three of her Coronation Street co-stars - Samia Smith (Maria Sutherland), Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby) and Julia Howarth (Claire Peacock).
But as much as she has enjoyed the fairytale occasions, she is not tempt ed to follow them. "Whenever my friends ask I say, 'Not until I'm 30'," she says.
"The weddings have been lovely and I'm happy for my friends, but it's nice knowing I'm going simply to watch it all happen and that's it."
'Peope don't believe I'm 22....ssoowwhheennI'mm40hooppee I'll ssttill looookk 30
Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe
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