Nick Tilsley has faced plenty of dramatic storylines on Coronation Street, but away from the cameras, actor Ben Price enjoys a much quieter life with his wife.
Coronation Street’s Ben Price is a soap favourite thanks to his role as Nick Tilsley – but many may not realise he has a rather famous wife.
The actor joined the ITV soap back in 2009, taking on the role of Nick, the son of Gail Platt (Helen Worth). Before Ben stepped into the part, the character had been played by Adam Rickitt and Warren Jackson. Since his arrival, Nick has remained at the heart of the drama on the cobbles.
From turbulent affairs to uncovering a long-lost secret son, Nick has been involved in some major storylines over the years. Right now, he’s facing fresh turmoil, as his son Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) has started taking drugs in an attempt to boost his slipping grades.
Alongside his academic struggles, Sam is also trying to expose predator Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) and her inappropriate relationship with student Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale). With Sam’s worrying change in behaviour, it’s no surprise that dad Nick has been left deeply concerned.
Away from the cobbles, however, Ben leads a far quieter life alongside his wife and their two children. He has been married to fashion stylist and actress Alexandra Wheeler since 2005. The couple first crossed paths while performing together in a stage production of On The Razzle.
Together, they share two children, Maximillian and Paloma. When Paloma was born in 2007, Ben – who had previously found success on ITV’s Footballers’ Wives and Casualty – took on the role of a stay-at-home dad.
Speaking to The Telegraph in 2009, Ben admitted: “I thought being a stay-at-home dad would be easy, but at first it felt isolating and quite daunting. There’s no real preparation for it. You’re just handed a nappy and expected to get on with it.”
At the time, Ben added: “I’ll be returning to work soon after the baby arrives and letting Alex take over, but I feel fortunate to have spent so much time with my daughter. Some dads go all week without seeing their children.”
A devoted family man, Ben briefly stepped away from the soap in 2017 to focus on being a stay-at-home dad once again, after struggling to juggle his personal life with the demanding filming schedule. Explaining his decision to the Daily Star, he said: “I left purely to be with my kids, as commuting from London to Manchester had become too much.”
“So I took them to school, packed their lunches, and focused entirely on being a dad. I didn’t think about Nick Tilsley or Coronation Street. I was just a stay-at-home dad. It’s not glamorous – it’s simply life.”
However, just a year later, former series producer Kate Oates approached Ben with an offer of more flexible hours if he decided to return to the show.
Looking back on his comeback, Ben said: “It was an easy decision for me. I missed the show, and I missed working with the cast and crew. […] It’s not always simple, but I’m fortunate to have a supportive family and a job I love. I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
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