Coronation Street viewers were left stunned by the revelation that two of the ITV soap’s characters are actually siblings in real life.
Matt Milburn, who played Weatherfield football star Tommy Orpington, first appeared on the cobbles in October 2016 and was a regular fixture until his character fled to Spain with Tracy McDonald (played by Kate Ford) earlier this year amidst an affair storyline.
The pair bonded over a shared interest when Tommy worked as a painter and decorator, eventually seizing an opportunity to work abroad together, Plymouth Live reports.
However, it has only recently been revealed to some fans that Matt is the real-life brother of Greg Wood, who played Corrie’s infamous villain Rick Neelan.
Rick, known for his ruthless behaviour, arrived in 2009 and quickly became a menace to locals, particularly Gary Windass (played by Mikey North). In 2019, Gary ended up killing Rick to protect his family, hiding his body in the woods.
Rick also left behind a daughter, Kelly, played by Doctor Who’s Millie Gibson. Outside of Coronation Street, Greg has had roles such as Trevor Royle on Hollyoaks and Terry Gibson in Brookside.
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Matt followed in his brother’s acting footsteps, although their paths on Corrie never crossed on screen. Milburn opened up to TV Times about what sparked his interest in acting: “Watching my brother in his first college play ignited my fire for it [acting]. Seeing the adrenaline surge through him afterwards, I thought: ‘I’d love to give that a go.’ But I just never did.”
He then recounted how he fell into acting when his brother had to step away from a university project: “Greg was supposed to film a play for his university friends, but he landed a role in Brookside, so he suggested my name without informing me. The play was Dealer’s Choice by Patrick Marber it revolves around poker.”
Matt explained the excitement of filming the play: “We shot it in the basement at night, and it was such a thrill! About three weeks later, I got an audition for Hollyoaks – it felt like my university.”
Coronation Street enthusiasts were surprised to discover Matt and Greg are siblings in the real world, sharing their thoughts on Facebook. One user couldn’t hide their surprise: “SAY WHAT? ! ! Today years old when I found out Rick (Greg Wood) and Tommy O (Matt Milburn) are brothers in real life.”
Another made a humorous connection: “It’s funny cause when Tommy came back in I thought it was the guy Gary killed, that would explain why they look so alike lol”.
Joining in on the light-hearted banter, another fan expressed their discovery: “Wow….No wonder I’m thinking it was him who Gary killed.”
Even among fans, the resemblance did not go unnoticed as one admitted: “Didn’t know that”, while another was struck by their similarity: “They look similar.”
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