Coronation Street legend Jack P Shepherd has confirmed he will be taking a break from the cobbles – but fans need not worry, as it's only temporary. The actor, who plays David Platt, is stepping away to welcome his fourth child with wife Hanni Treweek.
Jack P Shepherd's Departure from Coronation Street
The thought of Coronation Street without David Platt is pretty unconscionable, isn't it? Since taking over the role 26 years ago in 2000, Jack has been an absolute stalwart of the street, an integral piece of the Platt puzzle, and a perennial lightning rod for utter calamity and chaos. Most recently, he's had to contend with the insidious manipulation of his recently-discovered sister-in-law, Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown), who has been focused entirely on destroying everything her sister, David's wife Shona Platt (Julia Goulding), holds dear – including their marriage. On top of this, he's acted as a pillar of support for his big brother, Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), who is dealing with the aftermath of son Sam Blakeman's (Jude Riordan) sectioning and the revelation that he may be suffering from schizophrenia.
David will be taking a short break from the street, though, as Jack's real-life wife, Hanni Treweek, prepares to give birth to the couple's first child – and Jack's fourth. The actor is also waiting for his most recent hair transplant to heal.
Baby Joy for Jack and Hanni
The couple previously announced the wonderful news that they were expecting a baby six months after their wedding, with a beautiful video posted to Instagram. 'We've been keeping a secret…June 2026' read the caption, with the video featuring a montage of Jack and Hanni in stylish formal wear, showing their affection for one another and posing, both cradling her growing baby bump. They also both carried a pair of knitted cream baby booties and shared a kiss.
Hanni had previously discussed checking that Jack, already a father of three – two with his ex-wife and another as a result of a one-night stand – was open to the possibility of having more children. 'When kids are involved you need to have those serious conversations quite quickly, but we knew early on we wanted to have children together and we were serious about each other,' she told OK! Magazine in 2020.
Baby Name Suggestions
As for the baby's name? Well, there have been a few interesting suggestions. Talking on his On The Sofa podcast with co-hosts Colson Smith, who played kind-hearted copper Craig Tinker, and Ben Price, Jack revealed that neither he nor Hanni had chosen a name yet, but had begun considering options, with Jack bringing up a 'funny' suggestion he recently received.
'It was suggested, I actually thought it would be funny…David. David P Shepherd. Don't you think that would be f**king brilliant? The balls, the ballsy-ness!' Jack said. 'Even better, David Jr.' Joining in with the hijinks, Craig and Ben suggested that the baby also have 'P' added in as a middle name, in reference to Jack's middle name, Peter, long having been referenced in his stage name.
Craig went on to suggest 'Davina' if the baby, whose sex Jack and Hanni have decided not to find out, is a daughter. The three continued to weigh in on the potential pitfalls of the all-important name-picking process, with Jack saying: 'No, you avoid picking baby names based on people you don't like.' As the idea of naming the baby after a film character was floated, Jack continued: 'Yeah, I don't think we've had discussions or it has to be from a film. I don't think we've had that. You sort of just say names and throw them around.'
'I mean, you do what everyone does. You google 'baby names.''
