What happened ITV's Heartbeat stars? From quitting showbiz to sad deaths

When Heartbeat first graced our TV screens in 1992, few could have predicted its 18-year run and the numerous careers it would launch.

The heart-warming story of a small Yorkshire town set in the '60s captivated millions of viewers, who were left devastated when the show was cancelled. Despite no new episodes being produced for over a decade, Heartbeat remains one of ITV's most popular and beloved dramas. Fans continue to enjoy repeats on ITV3.

Filmed in North York Moors National Park and the village of Goathland, the cast included former EastEnder Nick Berry and Tricia Penrose, who portrayed the longest-running character, Wales Online previously reported.

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Let's see what happened to 11 of the stars after they left the series.

Nick Berry

Nick Berry who shot to fame as Simon Wicks in EastEnders from 1985 to 1990, played the main character of PC Nick Rowan for the first six years of the show. After leaving in 1998, Nick starred in BBC's Harbour Lights, as well as his last regular TV role in the crime drama In Deep in 2003.

Since then, Nick has shunned the limelight to spend more time with his family, the Mirror reported recently. However, he did return to EastEnders in 2012 for a one-off special following the death of his on-screen mother, Pat Evans.

Nick, who also released a pop song in 1986, Every Loser Wins, has now retired from acting. The 60-year-old is married to former Levi's model Rachel Robertson and the pair have two sons.

Niamh Cusack

Niamh Cusack played Dr Kate Rowan for three years before her character died from leukaemia, leaving her onscreen husband, PC Nick Rowan, a widower. Since leaving the show in 1995, Niamh has continued to act and has appeared in Always and Everyone, New Tricks, Silent Witness and The Virtues.

The Irish actress is from the Cusack acting dynasty and her siblings include Sinead Cusack, who is married to Jeremy Irons. Whilst not appearing in the show until series 2, Tricia Penrose played the show's longest-running character - Gina Ward. Tricia also appeared as Gina Ward in two episodes of the Heartbeat spin-off The Royal in 2003.

In 2013, Tricia appeared in Celebrity Big Brother. She has since moved into the world of broadcasting and now works as a radio presenter and has appeared on Radio Wirral as well as BBC Radio Manchester.

Kazia Pelka

Kazia played nurse Maggie Bolton in Heartbeat, starring in almost 100 episodes. Born in Dewsbury, West Riding, she first came to fame on our TV screens playing Anna Wolska in Brookside.

Following Heartbeat, she starred in Channel 5 soap, Family Affairs, winning the award for "Best Dramatic Performance" at the 2005 British Soap Awards. Other shows to her credits include The Bill and Coronation Street, and has since continued to working in both theatre and television

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Tricia Penrose

Whilst not appearing in the show until series 2, Tricia Penrose played the show's longest-running character - Gina Ward. Tricia also appeared as Gina Ward in two episodes of the Heartbeat spin-off The Royal in 2003.

In 2013, Tricia appeared in Celebrity Big Brother. She has since moved into the world of broadcasting and now works as a radio presenter and has appeared on Radio Wirral as well as BBC Radio Manchester.

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Jason Durr

Jason played PC Mike Bradley from 1997 until 2003. He went on to play various roles in many TV shows The Wrong Side of the Rainbow, Mysterious Island and Summer Solstice.

In 2016 he joined Casualty as David Hide, and he also appeared in Holby City as the same character.

Bill Maynard

Bill Maynard played the loveable rogue Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, from the start of the show until 2000, when he left the show due to concerns about his health. Bill turned up in the Heartbeat spin-off The Royal as Greengrass and he also appeared in The Moorside in 2017. Bill sadly passed away in 2018 at the age of 89.

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Mark Jordan

Mark played PC Phil Bellamy from 1992 until 1997. Since his time ended on the show, Mark played Daz Spencer in Emmerdale in 2014 and returned to the show from 2017-2019.

He was previously married to Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran with whom he has two children - you can read more about that here. He is now in a relationship with fellow ex-Emmerdale star Laura Norton and has two more children.

Derek Fowlds

Derek played Sgt Oscar Blaketon for the duration of the show. Despite effectively retiring from acting after the show ended, he did write his autobiography, A Part Worth Playing in 2015. Derek sadly died in 2020 at the age of 82.

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William Simons

Welsh-born William played PC Alfred Ventress also for the whole length of the show. His character quickly became popular with viewers with Ventress appearing in the show after the PC retired from the force. William sadly died in 2019 at the age of 78.

David Lonsdale

David Lonsdale played the character of David Stockwell from 1996 until the show ended in 2010. Whilst many will remember Greengrass as the show's comic relief, others will know David Stockwell as the comical village buffoon.

Since the show ended, Lonsdale has appeared in Casualty, Emmerdale and Vera. He turned up in the Downton Abbey movie in 2019.

Geoffrey Hughes

Liverpool actor Geoffrey played Vernon Scripps, who replaced Greengrass as the loveable rogue in the village. He was also known to millions of viewers as Twiggy in The Royle Family and Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances.

But he shot to same in Coronation Street binman Eddie Yeats in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier in his career, he also provided the voice of Paul McCartney in animated film Yellow Submarine.

He died in 2012, aged 68, after a battle with prostate cancer.

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