Coronation Street’s Graeme star unrecognisable 13 years after quitting ITV soap

Graeme Proctor, the cheeky and charming window cleaner on Coronation Street, was adored by viewers for both his romantic relationship with Tina McIntyre and his creative jail plot.

A star of Coronation Street has left the ITV cobbles more than ten years ago, and now she looks drastically different.

On the soap opera, Craig Gazey portrayed Graeme Proctor, a “loveable rogue.” After doing time in prison alongside David Platt, Graeme found employment washing windows on the cobblestones and even developed romantic feelings for Tina McIntyre, played by Michelle Keegan. In addition, he was well-known for breaking into the Windass mansion and following Rosie Webster; yet, he soon won over fans.

However, the actor has completely changed his appearance, and in 2023 he starred in the drama The Bay as Ozzie Peel. The actor, donning a dark goatee and a baggy khaki coat that zipped up to his neck, appeared more like a lost member of Oasis than the fresh-faced guy he had been on Corrie.

Rather of sporting his precisely cut locks on the cobbles, Craig is now sporting a shaggier hairstyle. However, The Bay is not his only new role; he has also been cast with Noel Fielding in the 2024 AppleTV series The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.

**Craig Gazey played loveable rogue Graeme Proctor in Corrie** (Image: ITV)

In 2011, he decided to leave the soap opera Corrie after three years and 260 episodes. “I’ve always wanted to do an eclectic mix of work and Corrie is very different from what I did before,” he admitted at the time. I was happy to be asked to continue, given Graeme was only supposed to appear in eight episodes.

“I’m glad it was only a small part at first; I don’t think I would have been cast for a regular character,” he continued. “When I first joined the cast, I had no idea how much I’d enjoy being part of such an amazing team,” he admitted after leaving that summer. However, I chose to become an actress because of the variety of the work and the chance to take on various parts.

**He looked totally different while starring in The Bay last year** (Image: ITV/Jonathan Birch/REX/Shutterstock)

“I also miss working in theatre a lot. I think it’s time for me to step down after 2.5 amazing years of portraying a distinct and incredibly well-written character. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I hope to have the chance to work on many projects and demonstrate my range as an actor.

It happens when Matilda Freeman, a co-star of Corrie and the original Summer Spellman on the cobbles, appeared in a new ITV series with an entirely different appearance. In the film Passenger, which takes place in the enigmatic town of Chaddar Vale, she plays Lilly.

**Graeme had a handful of memorable storylines** (Image: ITV)

The actress ditched her light blonde hair for a darker auburn look and rocked a half-up, half-down ‘do with silver earrings glinting at her lobes and a dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She’s starring alongside Jack James Ryan, who played Jacob Hay in Corrie, in the new ITV series, along with Anna Windass star Debbie Rush.