Inside Protection’s Siobhan Finneran’s life with soap star ex & TV actor new beau as she strips off for ITV drama
A LOOK inside Protection star Siobhan Finneran’s off-screen life with her soap star ex husband and her new TV actor beau – as she strips off for her new ITV drama.
The critically-acclaimed actress, who’s had a dazzling career with roles in Downton Abbey, Happy Valley and Doctor Who, is now top billing in the new thriller Protection.
So what is Protection about?
Protection is centred around a witness protection officer’s first-hand experiences – and what happens when the system breaks down.
Siobhan’s character Detective Inspector Liz Nyles is exposed to a breach when an affair with a colleague leaves her compromised.
The detective is left determined to fight back and find out who the source of corruption is within her unit.
The star studded cast also includes Champion’s Nadine Marshall and Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly.
Barry Ward, Chaneil Kular, Nichola Burley, Akiya Henry and David Hayman complete the lineup.
Reflecting on the script, Siobhan said: “I was so gripped by Protection that I was shouting at the screen.
“It puts practically every character, on all sides of the law, in danger, and refuses to let you trust anyone as deception builds upon deception.”
But viewers beware – because its a steamy one!
Barry Ward as DS Paul Brandice ramps up the heat in ITV’s new show, where viewers will have an eyeful of him getting seriously
steamy with Siobhan as they have a secret affair!
Who is her ex husband?
Siobhan has appeared in a huge number of TV shows over the years, including Heartbeat, which she appeared in alongside her famous ex-husband and fellow actor, Mark Jordon.
Recognised for his long-standing role as PC Phil Bellamy in Heartbeat, the English actor appeared on the show from 1992 to 2007.
Since then he has appeared in episodes of Casualty, Hollyoaks, and medical soap Doctors.
However, he’s best known for portraying Daz Spencer in Emmerdale and sadly left the show in 2019.
Most recently, he returned to our screens in the crime drama The Long Shadow.
Mark opened up about how he proposed in 1997 in an interview with The Mirror.
He said: “I took her down to London for a romantic weekend, to a show at the Albert Hall.
I said we’d go in a cab but I’d organised a limo. She thought I was being a flash git!
“When we got in, there was our favourite music, I’d given the driver the tape.
“And then he pulled over outside Harrods. I’d said to him: ‘I don’t want to knock on the window and have you pull over just anywhere.
” I want to remember where we are.’ So he said: ‘It looks beautiful, Harrods at night, all lit up.’
Siobhan happily accepted and they were married in August of that year and they welcomed two children, a daughter named Poppy and a son named Joseph.
However, in 2014, the pair divorced after 17 years of marriage,
Mark later remarried and welcomed two children with his second wife and Emmerdale star, Laura Norton.
But he continues to have a close bond with Poppy and Joseph, and regularly shares updates on Instagram.
Who is Siobhan’s new beau?
Siobhan reportedly met Death in Paradise‘s new detective Don Gilet while they were filming the crime thriller The Loch.
The drama was set in the heart of a small Scottish community and was centred around a search for a serial killer.
Both Don and Siobhan are famously secretive about their private lives but Siobhan referred to Don as “my fella” in a recent interview with The Guardian.
This comes after they were photographed together holding hands on the red carpet at the TV Choice Awards two years ago.
Don was previously married to actress Tracy Whitwell – known for Peep Show and Soldier Soldier – who he shares a 17-year-old son with.
But he has never disclosed why the pair split up.
Best know for his roles in EastEnders and Holby City – he most recently replaced actor Ralf Little on the hit BBC crime series Death in Paradise.
But he has also appeared in a string of hit series, including Netflix‘s The Stranger, Midsomer Murders, and Sherwood.
Protection airs tonight at 9pm on ITV1.