Coronation Street’s Roy Cropper is a legend – but the man behind the iconic character, David Neilson, has had a fascinating life of his own.

Coronation Street’s Roy Cropper, played by David Neilson, has been a beloved character on the ITV soap for nearly three decades. The 75 year old actor, who first portrayed Roy in 1995, has had an equally eventful life off-screen.

David has been involved in some of the show’s most significant storylines, including his relationship with Hayley, one of television’s first transgender characters. Audiences were left heartbroken when Hayley chose to end her life after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2013.

Recently, viewers saw Roy wrongly imprisoned for the ‘murder’ of Lauren Bolton, a colleague at his cafe, Roy’s Rolls. It was later revealed that she had been attacked by the villainous Joel, who is also the father of her child.

Although Roy was eventually released from prison, he has become more withdrawn in recent episodes. As fans eagerly anticipate what will happen next for Roy, we delve into David’s life away from the soap, which includes his seldom-seen wife and a secret retreat in Spain.

David has been happily married to his wife Jane for over half a century. The couple have a son named Daniel and are proud grandparents to two little girls, reports the Mirror.

Jane has played a pivotal role in shaping the character of Roy, as revealed by David in a 2009 interview with The Mirror. He disclosed that he had subtly incorporated aspects of autism into Roy’s character, attributing this to Jane’s insights gained from her career as a Special Education Needs and Disability teacher.

He said: “Roy was a psychopath. He was stalking Deirdre and was a bit scary. It’s nice to play psychos, but they don’t stay around too long.”

The transformation of Roy’s character under Jane’s influence has been successful, making him one of the most beloved characters on the ITV soap. David explained how this was achieved: “My wife is a special needs teacher and she worked with people with autism. She suggested that Roy could have Asperger’s syndrome, which would make him socially awkward rather than threatening. Back in 1995, not many people knew what Asperger’s was, so I owe it all to my wife.

David Neilson’s real wife is Jane (Image: PA)

“It’s never mentioned in the storyline though, and it shouldn’t be. Roy is a human being and a label doesn’t help him. But I think he’s got it. It gives him reasons for his behaviour and gives me something to play. I enjoy idiosyncrasies in people and Roy is full of them.”

Since 2002, David and Jane have been dividing their time between Spain and England, allowing them to lead a more normal life.

David revealed to The Mirror: “I need to get away from Roy and be myself and they don’t know Roy in Barcelona. If I’m in Spain for a few days I forget what I do for a living, which is the important thing. It means when I come back and someone shouts ‘Roy’, for a moment I forget they’re actually talking to me.

David splits his time between Spain and the UK (Image: Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)

“And it’s only a couple of hours on the plane so I can commute to Manchester easily enough.”

He added: “Another reason we moved was for excitement. I like to do different things and it’s been good to learn a language and get into a different culture. Our son Daniel had left for university and we were in Bristol in a big house and we thought, ‘What shall we do?'”