Greg Wood, who portrayed Rick Neelan on the Cobbles, is the real-life brother of Matt Milburn, who portrayed Tommy Orpington on Coronation Street.
The revelation that two of Coronation Street’s characters are actually brothers off-screen has shocked viewers.
Before he and Tracy McDonald (Kate Ford) left Weatherfield for Spain in a sultry romance plot, actor Matt Milburn, who has been playing the part of Tommy Orpington, the local football hero, since October 2016, was a regular.
Actor Greg Wood, well known for playing ominous mobster Rick Neelan, and Matt had an unexpected real-life connection.
After his 2009 début, Rick Neelan’s reign of terror rocked the inhabitants of the ITV soap opera, and in 2019 he was killed by Gary Windass (played by Mikey North).
Greg Wood portrayed Terry Gibson in Brookside and Trevor Royle in Hollyoaks in addition to his sinister Corrie part.
Though the two never walked Weatherfield’s cobblestone streets together, Matt’s inspiration to pursue acting came from seeing his older brother Greg.
“Watching my brother in his first college play ignited my fire for it [acting],” Matt once publicly shared with TV Times, adding, “Seeing the adrenaline surge through him afterwards, I thought: ‘I’d love to give that a go.'” However, I never did.
“Greg recommended me without telling me because he had a role in Brookside and was supposed to film a university play. It was a poker-themed play called Dealer’s Choice by Patrick Marber.
He went on: “It was thrilling to shoot in the basement at night! I tried out for Hollyoaks around three weeks later; it was similar to my time in college.
Fans of Coronation Street shared their shock at learning that Matt and Greg are brothers on Facebook. “SAY WHAT?!!” wrote a fan. I learned that Tommy O (Matt Milburn) and Rick (Greg Wood) are actually brothers today.
Someone another said: “It’s funny cause when Tommy came back in I thought it was the guy Gary killed, that would explain why they look so alike lol.” Another user said, “Wow…. No wonder I’m thinking it was him who Gary killed.” Astonished, other admirers responded, writing “Didn’t know that” and “They look similar.”
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