How old is Faye Brookes and who is the Dancing On Ice 2021 finalist’s professional partner?

FAYE Brookes' life is almost as colourful as that of her former Corrie character Kate Connor.

The actress hit the headlines in 2019 for splitting up with her long-time beau and fiance Gareth Gates - again - and she's now a finalist on this year's series of Dancing On Ice.

Why did Faye Brookes split from Gareth Gates?

Faye met former Pop Idol star Gareth in 2012 when they played on-stage lovers in the UK tour of Legally Blonde The Musical.

The pair had a very on/off relationship and split in September 2018 after six years together.

However, in a complete u-turn Gareth announced that they had got back together in November 2018 and by January 2019 the pair were engaged.

But in August 2019 it was revealed the couple had split up again, with a source telling The Sun Faye and Gareth "just couldn't make it work".

What is Faye Brookes' background?

Faye Brookes, 33, is a British actress from Manchester best known for her former role as Kate Connor in Coronation Street.

She came to soap bosses' attention in 2014 when she played Frankie in the BBC One drama Our Zoo.

Then in 2015 she made her Corrie debut as Kate  - the sister of Aidan and Johnny's daughter.

After relationships with Sally Webster's daughter Sophie and Imogen, she eventually began a heated affair with Rana Nazir - but unfortunately  tragedy struck and Rana died on their wedding day.

When did Faye Brookes quit Coronation Street?

In April 2019, it was revealed that Faye had sensationally quit Corrie after four years.

The actress said she was leaving the cobbles to "explore new opportunities";.

She tweeted: "Thanks to everyone for your amazing support, but after 4 fabulous years in Weatherfield it's time for me to explore new opportunities, I've loved playing Kate Connor, but she needs a break for a little while and so with a song in my heart I'm off to pastures new. #corrie."

Faye's final scenes on the Corrie cobbles were in autumn 2019.

What else has Faye Brookes been in?

Faye is also a feted stage performer.

The actress has taken the lead in a production of Legally Blonde, and played Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical on tour.

Before landing her major TV roles she also had a small part in BBC adventure series Atlantis.

In 2019 Faye appeared in panto playing the starring role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

When was Faye the victim of a sex tape leak?

In December 2017, it was revealed that an explicit sex tape of Faye had been leaked online and viewed more than 100,000 times.

The distraught star called in cops after hackers stole it from a phone and put it on one of the world’s largest adult sites.

A source said: "Faye is understandably devastated. Like any woman, she will be mortified that this footage is a few clicks away.

"It has somehow been accessed by someone who doesn’t care how much upset they cause."

Boyfriend at the time, Gareth Gates, tweeted a message of support for his girlfriend following the incident, posting the message "United we stand" alongside a picture of the pair holding hands on the beach.