All The Babes
Tina O'Brien
Career
Active 1997 – present
Biography
About Tina O'Brien
Tina O'Brien is a British actress with a long-running career in British television. She has been active since 1997, starting around age 13, and is best known for playing Sarah Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Her portrayal spanned from 1999 to 2008 and then again from 2015 to the present. She also appeared in the BBC One drama series Waterloo Road from 2010 to 2011.
Born in Rusholme, Manchester, England, O'Brien was educated at Trinity C.E. High School. Early roles included Children's Ward in 1997, The Cops in 1998, and Clocking Off in 2000. At sixteen, she joined Coronation Street in October 1999, taking over the role of Sarah Platt. Her character's pregnancy storyline earned her the Best Storyline award at the British Soap Awards. She also won Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards and the TV Quick Awards. After leaving the show in 2008, she took on roles in Blue Murder, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, and Accused. She also participated in Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, being eliminated in the fifth week. In 2013, she co-founded the drama school Drama MOB in Manchester.
O'Brien has been open about her personal life, which has sometimes intertwined with her career. She has a daughter, Scarlett, born in 2008, from a relationship with actor Ryan Thomas. Scarlett later played Izzy Charles in the 2023 reboot of Waterloo Road. O'Brien also has a son, born after her marriage to Adam Crofts in 2018. The couple split in March 2025. She used to do gymnastics until age 10, giving it up to focus on acting. Standing at 5'0" with a slim build, she has natural auburn hair and brown eyes.
Record
Profile details
Personal
- Years Active
- 1997-present (started around 13 years old; 29 years active)
- Birthplace
- England, United Kingdom
- Ethnicity
- Caucasian
- Sexuality
- Straight
Body
- Hair Color
- Auburn
- Eye Color
- Brown
- Measurements
- 31–24–33 (B–W–H) · WHR 0.73
- Bra/Cup Size
- B
- Boobs
- Real/Natural
Performances
- Solo
- Nudity (Implied Nudity Only)
Frequently asked
How has Tina O'Brien's personal life intersected with her acting career?
Her daughter Scarlett, from her relationship with Ryan Thomas, played Izzy Charles in the 2023 Waterloo Road reboot. Her own career took a pause after becoming pregnant, and she returned to acting in roles like Waterloo Road and Coronation Street.
What awards has Tina O'Brien won for her soap opera work?
She won Best Storyline at the British Soap Awards, along with Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards and the TV Quick Awards.
What led Tina O'Brien to pursue acting over gymnastics?
She did gymnastics until age 10 but gave it up because her family could not afford both gymnastics and acting lessons.
Did you know
- Tina O'Brien became the godmother of Emily Walton, who played the original Bethany Platt, her on-screen daughter.
- She co-founded the drama school Drama MOB in 2013 with Esther Morgan; one of its students, Owen Cooper, found fame in the 2025 Netflix series Adolescence.
- During her 2010 stint on Strictly Come Dancing, she was unable to perform in the third week due to illness.
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