Coronation Street star Alan Halsall has shared a moving message as he was seen planting a kiss on his late co-star. The actor, who plays Tyrone Dobbs in the ITV soap, took to
Social Media to mark what would have been the birthday of soap icon Bill Tarmey. The
Actor is famed for having played the much-loved Jack Duckworth in Corrie for 31 years before departing in 2010. Ardwick-born Tarmey, who lived in Ashton-under-Lyne, was 71 when he died in Tenerife in 2013. Tarmey started out working as a builder and began his showbiz career singing in working men's clubs. He joined Coronation Street as an extra in 1977 but show bosses spotted his potential and two years later he landed the role that made him famous. He was dogged by ill-health and suffered a heart attack at the age of 35, followed by a stroke a year later. A heavy smoker, he underwent a quadruple heart bypass 15 years ago and another bypass operation in June 2002. READ MORE: Pregnant Coronation Street star Sair Khan offers baby update with 'weird' pregnancy symptom ahead of birth READ MORE: Read more of our Coronation Street stories here His on-screen partnership with nagging wife Vera, played by the late Liz Dawn, provided the show with some of its most memorable moments. Jack may have constantly moaned about being hen-pecked by motormouth Vera but underneath it all he was a true romantic. The couple provided the soap with one of its most heart-warming episodes last year when Jack dressed up and treated Vera to a candlelit dinner of fish and chips in his allotment to celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary. And it's fair to say that, even now, the pair have retained their place in the nation's hearts. On Thursday (April 4), Alan took to
Instagram and shared a picture of the pair puckering up for a kiss. Alongside the memorable snap on his Stories, the soap star said: "Happy Heavenly Birthday Bill!" He emotionally added: "Miss ya mate, I think of you all the time." Alan shared the sweet message about Bill on Instagram (Image: Alan Halsall Instagram) It comes after Alan told how he wasn't feeling '100%' before sharing a sweet tribute to his daughter. The actor kept active over the Bank Holiday weekend as he made the most of the drier weather with bike rides and a trip to the beach. But he admitted to not being completely back to his best after undergoing surgery last year. The 41-year-old star revealed in early November he had gone under knife to fix an ACL injury. The ACL is one of two ligaments that cross in the middle of the knee, connects your thighbone to your shinbone and helps to stabilize your knee joint. Sharing a picture to his Instagram Story of himself and Sienna on their bikes, he admitted: "I can't says I'm feeling 100% but after the last several months of rain I really wanted Sienna to be outdoors and have some for adventures this bank holiday.... And we have!" He then took to his main Instagram grid with a string of pictures of the pair as well as Alan's family who joined in on the adventures, writing: "My smile is biggest when I’m with my Daughter. A Bank holiday Weekend well spent, outdoors & having fun with our family."