Actor Jack James Ryan plays John Trowbridge in Passenger, his first role since leaving Coronation Street in 2023 – but his new character isn’t anywhere near as likeable as reformed Jacob Hay.
Fans of the ITV soap will know Jack James Ryan’s character left last year, but the door was left very much open for him to return. And there are many viewers who would LOVE to see him back on the cobbles – including his former co-star Elle Mulvaney.
So why did he leave Corrie, and is he planning to return? We also reveal his secret cancer battle, and his famous sister in our deep dive into his real life. Here’s everything you need to know.
Who plays John Trowbridge in Passenger?
Actor Jack James Ryan portrays John Trowbridge in the ITV thriller Passenger.
John isn’t a very nice chap at all. One of several bad’uns in the six-part series, in fact. The character is a bully, who isn’t afraid to throw around a few punches to get what he wants.
He also cheats on his girlfriend Katie, and treats her pretty badly when he IS with her. Like many others in the show, John works in the bread factory. His spare time is mostly spent chasing his demons via a bottle of booze.
Who is Jack James Ryan? What is he famous for?
Jack James Ryan is best known for playing Jacob Hay in Coronation Street (see below), but he’s been on our screens ever since 2005. That year, he played Ruddick Miller in the TV movie Titanic: Birth of a Legend, opposite Charles Lawson – another Corrie ledge!
Jack, now 25, was just a child at the time. The actor went on to appear in episodes of Moving On, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, Casualty, and Doctors. He also played Tyler in one episode of Emmerdale in 2019.
In 2022, Jack appeared in series 11 of Vera. He portrayed Greg Stein in episode four, entitled As the Crow Flies.
The actor also played Private Shaw in the 2019 Sharon Horgan film Militant Wives.
Who did Jack James Ryan play in Corrie?
Jack James Ryan portrayed Jacob Hay in ITV soap Coronation Street from 2021 to 2023 – a total of 69 episodes.
He arrived in Weatherfield as a drugs courier for Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor), but subsequently became a reformed character. Fans will know him best for his relationship with Amy Barlow.
The pair started seeing each other in secret in 2022. However, when their relationship was exposed, Amy‘s family ordered her to stop seeing Jacob. Determined to stay with him, she moved into his bedsit. When bills became too much, the couple moved back into 19a Victoria Street.
Jacob got a job at Underworld and tried to stay on the straight and narrow. However, following a reunion with Damon, Jacob went to work at the Viaduct Bistro where he was forced to help his dad smuggle drugs through the restaurant.
After bungling a delivery of cocaine, Jacob left Weatherfield for his own safety, letting Amy believe he’d gone back to his old ways. Fans were gutted Jacob was forced to leave because of his dad, just when he’d turned his life around!
Why did Jack James Ryan leave Coronation Street?
Jack James Ryan’s character Jacob Hay was written out of Coronation Street.
Speaking about Jacob’s exit at the time, Jack told ED! and other media: “It’s crushing. It’s because it’s so unjust and there’s nothing you can really do about it. They think he’s been lying the whole time and he was just this drug dealer all along.”
He added: “It’s heartbreaking. And it’s not just for Jacob, it’s heartbreaking for me as well. Hashtag Justice for Jacob.”
However, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if we saw Jacob return to the soap one day in the future.
What is Jack James Ryan doing next?
At the moment, Jack James Ryan is starring in Passenger on ITV1.
According to IMDB, he has nothing else lined up, but we’ve no doubt that he will soon.
How old is Jack James Ryan? Where is he from?
Jack James Ryan is reportedly 25 years of age.
He was born in Manchester, and has some rather famous siblings!
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Who is Jack James Ryan’s partner?
Despite being publicly linked to his Corrie co-star Elle Mulvaney, Jack is thought to be single.
While their characters were dating, they were often asked if they were dating in real life. To which Jack once joked: “She wishes!”
He added: “Nah, it’s all jokes. We’re just really good friends. Elle is like a sister to me.”
Speaking in 2024, he admitted his first crush was Hilary Duff. He told the Express: “Hilary Duff who played Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel. Girls like her and Raven-Symoné blew my mind. They sang, they danced, they acted. They were out of this world.”
Does Jack have a famous sister?
Jack isn’t the only actor in his family. In fact, Corrie fans will know that his older sister, Rebecca Ryan, joined Corrie in 2021. The actress spent several months playing PR Lydia Chambers, Adam Barlow’s bunny boiler-ex.
Rebecca is also known for playing Bob Hope’s daughter Carly in Emmerdale, and Debbie Gallagher in Channel 4 comedy Shameless. She played Debbie from the age of 11, over the course of five years from 2004 to 2009. Rebecca went on to play Vicki MacDonald in Waterloo Road. Between 2017 and 2019, she starred as hospital porter Gemma Dean in Casualty.
Meanwhile, the pair’s older brother, Charlie, is also in the biz! As well as theatre work, he played Tommy in the ITV children’s drama Children’s Ward, and Louis Collins in State of Play.
Rebecca recently became a mum, so Jack is now an uncle to his cute niece Aurora. Commenting on her birth, Jack said: “My new best mate.”
Did Jack James Ryan have cancer?
Jack has battled cancer, and is now an ambassador for teenage cancer.
In 2017, doctors diagnosed Jack with testicular cancer. Thankfully he is now fully recovered.
Speaking to the Teenage Cancer Trust, Jack shared: “I felt fine health-wise but when I found a lump on my left testicle, I instantly knew something was off. My mum and sister were in the house at the time, and I shouted for them, told them what I had found, and they said they’d take me to the GP first thing in the morning. I was apprehensive about going, but I knew I had to.”
He continued: “The GP examined me, and I could tell from her expression that there must be something wrong. She didn’t have a good poker face! She referred me to hospital where I had blood tests and scans, which confirmed I had testicular cancer.
“Within two weeks I was on the operating table having my testicle removed. The cancer hadn’t spread so, after the operation, I didn’t need any further treatment. I’m so grateful for that.”
However, Jack admits the experience “hit me really hard”. He had to take a few months off from drama school to recover at home, and he found it “really tough”.
Jack has since had a prosthetic testicle put in, which has “helped my body confidence”.
Read more: Passenger review: New series is more like Twin Peaks than your average ITV1 drama
Passenger is currently available to watch on ITVX.
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