BBC stars Siobhan Finneran and Don Gilet appear to be dating, after being spotted holding hands at a recent red carpet event. And we think they make a cute couple!
Siobhan is one of the UK’s most bankable TV stars, having recently appeared in both Time and The Reckoning. Of course, she’s probably most famous for playing beloved character Clare Cartwright in Happy Valley.
Meanwhile, Don Gilet is famous for playing EastEnders villain Lucas Johnson, although he most recently played another baddie in Shetland.
Both Siobhan and Don starred together in The Loch in 2017, an Acorn TV original that may well be responsible for bringing the suspected new couple together! Here’s everything we know about their relationship.
Where and when did Siobhan Finneran and Don Gilet meet?
Siobhan Finneran and Don Gilet worked together on the 2017 Acorn TV detective series The Loch. She played DCI Lauren Quigley, opposite Don’s character Blake Albrighton.
The six-part series, which also aired on ITV, followed the search for a serial killer in a quiet Scottish town after the body of local man Niall Swift was found at the foot of Carn Mohr Mountain.
Shortly afterwards, a human heart was found on the beach, too… Siobhan portrayed Glasgow detective and career officer Lauren Quigley who was brought in to lead the investigation. Meanwhile, Don played flirtatious forensic psychologist Blake Albrighton who was brought onto the case by DCI Quigley. But not everyone was a fan.
While we know Happy Valley actress Siobhan and Don starred together in the six-part series, we don’t know if this is when they first met. But it certainly seems to mark when the pair became close.
Siobhan attended the @MVisas Awards tonight with Don Gilet. #TheLoch pic.twitter.com/8sidDhPZbH
— Siobhan Finneran (@TeamSFinneran) October 28, 2017
Are they dating?
After 2017, when the pair starred together in The Loch, Siobhan and Don began to attend social functions together. In 2017, they attended the MVISA Awards together. Last year, in 2022, they arrived at the TV Choice Awards together, and smiled for waiting press. They were then photographed leaving in a black taxi together.
This year, in September 2023, they held hands on the red carpet at The Cure Usher Ball at Hilton, Manchester. The charity event was hosted by Emmerdale star Laura Norton, and her husband Mark Jordon, who played Daz Spencer in the same soap.
In fact, Mark Jordon is Siobhan’s ex-husband (see below), proving that the pair have managed to stay friends after their painful divorce.
Siobhan Finneran has not spoken publicly about having a new relationship. Neither she nor Don have ever discussed or confirmed being in a relationship. And their agents have remained tight-lipped. ED! has contacted both Siobhan and Don’s representatives for comment.
Who have Siobhan Finneran and Don Gilet dated before?
Siobhan Finneran was married to former soap star Mark Jordon for 17 years. The pair married in August 1997 after appearing together on the set of ITV drama Heartbeat.
The pair went on to have two children, a daughter named Poppy and a son named, Jordan. Talking about their romance back in 2001, Mark told The Mirror: “She’s just so lovely. We met when I was 20 and she was a bezzie, bezzie mate for years. We didn’t realise that half of our fun was flirtatious.”
Mark eventually proposed to Siobhan in 1997. However, they divorced in 2014. Mark has gone on to enjoy a very public romance with his now-fiancée Laura Norton, who is 18 years his junior.
It was on the set of the ITV soap Emmerdale that he met Laura, who played Kerry Wyatt. The pair now have two children together.
Meanwhile, Don Gilet has one child from a previous relationship with partner Tracy Whitwell, an author.
Read more: BBC viewers reeling from ‘brutal but brilliant’ Time, but point out major plot holes
See Don Gilet in Shetland series 8, currently airing on BBC One, and Siobhan Finneran in Time on BBC iPlayer.
What do you think of Siobhan Finneran and Don Gilet’s possible romance? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.