Time’s Siobhan Finneran in profile: Painful split with Emmerdale actor, and long-term relationship with Death in Paradise detective

Siobhan Finneran returns to our screens this week as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell in Time, a woman having a crisis of faith after falling in love with a Catholic priest – but, in real life, she’s very happily loved up with her famous partner.

She is easily one of British TV’s most bankable actresses, and a firm ED! favourite. Not least because of her heartbreaking performance as Clare Cartwright in Happy Valley.

Siobhan has proven herself in hard-hitting dramas like Time, Unchosen, A Confession, The Reckoning, and The Moorside. But she’s also a dab hand at comedic roles such as Lin in Alma’s Not Normal, Janice in Benidorm, and Marilyn in The Other One.

Here’s everything you need to know about Siobhan Finneran, her latest TV role, her painful split from her soap star ex, and her famous partner…

Siobhan Finneran joins David Tennant in the cast of Time series 3 (Credit: BBC One)

Who plays Marie-Louise O’Dell in Time series 3?

Actress Siobhan Finneran returns as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell in the third series of Time. It’s the only recurring character in all three series. This time, the anthology drama takes place in a Young Offender Institution (YOI), and explores the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them.

Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise arrives at the Young Offender Institution having lost her faith. When tragedy strikes in the prison, she clashes with veteran officer Bailey (David Tennant), a man in the midst of his own crisis. As always, the character is “kind, non-judgemental and very supportive”. Not just to the young men, but the rest of the staff, too.

The first series of the drama starred Sean Bean and Stephen Graham as prisoner and seasoned prison officer. It aired in 2021 and, quite rightly, won multiple awards, including the 2022 BAFTA for Leading Actor and Mini-Series. Critics called it a “masterpiece”, “exceptional”, and “astonishing”.

Series 2 followed in 2023. This time, it was set in a female prison and starred Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey.

What TV and films is Siobhan Finneran famous for?

Siobhan Finneran is one of the most bankable British TV stars on our screens, known for appearing in heavyweight dramas including BBC One’s Time, The Reckoning, and Happy Valley.

But she’s also wonderful at comedy, and played Janice Garvey in Benidorm over the course of eight years. In fact, Siobhan is – in our opinion – a national treasure with a career spanning 40 years.

Her very first TV appearance was in 1987, when she was just 21 years of age. She played schoolgirl Rita, who had a passionate affair with an older man in the saucy flick Rita, Sue and Bob Too. Coincidentally, both Siobhan and her co-star George Costigan, who played Bob, later went on to star in Happy Valley together.

Siobhan’s next big role was playing Josie Phillips in Coronation Street. She appeared in the ITV soap from 1989 to 1990. Josie was a packer at Baldwin’s Casuals.

Between 1991 and 1992, Siobhan played Milly Bates in the comedy Motormouth, before going on to win another high profile soap role. She portrayed Heather Hutchinson in Emmerdale in 1998. Her then-husband Mark Jordon was also an actor in the ITV soap. He played Daz Spencer. More on that below!

Other notable roles include playing Julie O’Neill in Clocking Off, Sister Ruth in Apparitions, Mandy in The Syndicate, and Izzie Ingram in Unforgiven opposite Suranne Jones.

In 2010, Siobhan played Sarah O’Brien in period drama Downton Abbey. It’s one of the rare occasions she’s played someone hard to like. Miss O’Brien was the very bitter lady’s maid to Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham. The character eventually sneaked away in the night to travel to India to be a lady’s maid to Susan MacClare, Marchioness of Flintshire.

Siobhan Finneran played Sarah Lancashire’s sister in masterpiece Happy Valley (Credit: BBC)

What else has Siobhan Finneran been in?

Between 2007 and 2015, Siobhan portrayed Janice in Benidorm. After leaving the comedy, she appeared as DC Christine Freeman in the 2017 Shannon Matthews drama The Moorside, opposite Sheridan Smith. Sticking to coppers, Siobhan Finneran portrayed DCI Lauren Quigley in The Loch that same year, which is where she met her current partner Don Gilet.

Later roles include Nikki Kirkbright in Cold Feet, Elaine Pickford in A Confession, Johanna Griffin in The Stranger, Lin in Alma’s Not Normal, and Marilyn in The Other One.

More recently, she played Beryl in the horrifying Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning. And, of course, arguably her most famous role, Clare in Happy Valley.

Siobhan Finneran played Catherine Cawood’s sister Clare in Happy Valley

Actress Siobhan is perhaps best known for playing the brilliant Clare Cartwright in BBC’s smash hit Happy Valley. Clare was Catherine Cawood’s stabilising sister.

A recovering heroin addict, she lived with her older sister and helped raise Catherine’s grandson Ryan. Her life spiralled out of control due to alcohol and heroin addictions, but she was determined to turn her life around.

In series 2, we saw Clare attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings which is where she met her former boyfriend Neil and the pair rekindled their relationship.

Siobhan’s character Clare was involved in one of the show’s most jaw-dropping scenes, when Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) discovered her sister had betrayed her in epic fashion. Clare had been taking Catherine’s grandson Ryan to visit his convict dad in jail.

The series ran from 2014 to 2023, and remains one of the best series on TV ever.

Siobhan worked with her current partner Don Gilet on The Loch (Credit: ITV)

Why did Siobhan Finneran leave Benidorm?

Siobhan Finneran quit Benidorm in 2015, a few episodes into series 7. The series continued until 2018.

At the time, she and her on-screen husband Steve Pemberton announced their intention to leave Benidorm during filming of the sixth series in 2014.

The pair revealed they both wanted to spend less time filming abroad, and neither wanted to leave on their own. Steve said: “Working on Benidorm has been the most fun I’ve ever had. I’d have kept going for the rest of my life, but there are other considerations. It was a very difficult decision, but the amount of time we were away from home was key.”

He added: “We all sat down and discussed it during series 6. It’s great that we had the same instinct to go at the same time. No one wanted to go on their own. So all things considered, it was absolutely the right time to leave.”

Who played Edith in Inside No. 9?

Actress Siobhan Finneran went on to portray Edith in Inside No. 9 episode Boo to a Goose. In episode 1 of the final anthology, late-night passengers got stuck in a tunnel when their train broke down. As they waited for the replacement service, a nurse got her purse stolen and tempers started to fray.

As well as Siobhan Finneran, there was a ridiculously talented cast of supporting actors. These included Shetland’s Mark Bonnar, former primetime staple Matthew Kelly, and Motherland’s Philippa Dunne. This Country’s Charlie Cooper also appeared as a homeless man on the train.

Of course, Benidorm fans were thrilled to see Siobhan Finneran in the series, created and starring her on-screen hubbie Steve Pemberton. However, in the episode, Siobhan was paired up with Reece Shearsmith, while Steve Pemberton played caustic drag queen Wilma.

Siobhan Finneran played a devout cult member in 2026’s Unchosen (Credit: Netflix)

How old is Siobhan? Where is she from?

Siobhán Margaret Finneran was born on April 27, 1966, in Oldham, Lancashire.

She is currently 60 years of age.

Although she was born in Lancashire, Siobhan is of Irish descent. Both her parents were Irish.

Who is the partner of Siobhan Finneran?

Siobhan was once married to former Emmerdale star Mark Jordon. However, after 17 years, the pair suffered a painful split.

The pair married in August 1997 after appearing together on the set of ITV drama Heartbeat. They 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. He explained: “I took her down to London for a romantic weekend, to a show at the Albert Hall. I said we’d go in a cab but I’d organised a limo. She thought I was being a flash git! When we got in, there was our favourite music, I’d given the driver the tape.

“And then he pulled over outside Harrods. I’d said to him: ‘I don’t want to knock on the window and have you pull over just anywhere. I want to remember where we are.’ Harrods looked beautiful at night, all lit up.”

Mark popped the question in the limo, Siobhan accepted and they were married in August of that year. However, after 17 years of marriage, the pair divorced in 2014.

Who is Mark Jordon married to now?

Mark has gone on to enjoy a very public romance with his now-fiancée Laura Norton.

The 61-year-old is now married to fellow soap actor Laura Norton, who is 18 years his junior. Mark portrayed Daz Spencer from 2014 to 2019 in the ITV soap.

It was on the set of the ITV soap that he met Laura, who plays Kerry Wyatt. The pair have two children together. Laura has been away from the fictional village on and off due to maternity leave. In October 2022, she welcomed her second child, a baby girl called Ronnie.

Their first child, a son called Jesse, was born in 2021. In February, Laura and Mark revealed both of their children have a rare genetic condition called Usher Syndrome.

Are Mark Jordon and Siobhan Finneran still friends?

Although Mark now has two children with his wife, Laura Norton, he still has a close relationship with his older children, Poppy and Jordan.

In fact, Mark often posts about the pair on Instagram.

Mark and Siobhan have also stayed friends, despite their painful split. Siobhan recently attended a fundraiser thrown by Mark and Laura. She arrived at The Cure Usher Ball at Hilton, Manchester, holding hands with former EastEnders actor Don Gilet.

Siobhan Finneran and partner Don Gilet attending the TV Choice Awards in 2024 (Credit: Jack Hall/Cover Images)

Is Siobhan Finneran still with partner Don Gilet?

Sinead has also found love with another actor. The actress is in a long-term relationship with Death in Paradise detective Don Gilet.

The pair both appeared in the Scottish thriller The Loch in 2017. She played DCI Lauren Quigley, while Don – best known as serial killer Lucas Johnson in EastEnders – starred as Blake Albrighton.

Since then, the pair appear to be inseparable. In 2017, Siobhan and Don attended the MVISA Awards together. In 2022, they attended the TV Choice Awards together. They were then photographed leaving in a black taxi together.

For years, the pair did not discuss or confirm being in a relationship. However, more recently, they have joked about appearing together in Death in Paradise.

Of course, Don Gilet replaced Ralf Little on Death in Paradise. He plays DI Mervin Wilson. Siobhan joined the cast as a guest star earlier this year. Siobhan played potter Fleur Edwards, who lived next door to the victim.

Appearing on This Morning, Don finally acknowledged their romance when asked what it was like working with his girlfriend. “I thought they edited her out,” he joked, adding: “It was great working her. She’s come a long way. Happy Valley, Schmappy Valley.”

Meanwhile, Siobhan gave a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship in an interview with The Times. She revealed that they live in separate households due to him being “out of the country for seven months a year” to film Death in Paradise.

“We are both off the telly. Other than that we’re pretty normal,” she added. “You wouldn’t think we were a power couple this morning, both running around trying to get out of the house on time. Hopeless.”

Where and when did Siobhan Finneran and partner 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.

Meanwhile, Don Gilet has one child from a previous relationship with partner Tracy Whitwell, an author.

Siobhan Finneran appeared opposite real life partner Don Gilet in Death in Paradise (Credit: BBC One)

Does she wear a wig?

Although an often-asked question online, Siobhan Finneran’s hair is very much her own. No, she does not wear a wig in real life, she has a thick head of hair that she dyes regularly for work. Although she does sometimes wear a wig for roles.

In Protection, her character’s hair was blonde, while her character in Alma’s Not Normal wears it pink, blue, and all the colours of the rainbow (often via a wig).

Time starts on BBC One on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 9pm, and lands as a boxset the same day.

The post Time’s Siobhan Finneran in profile: Painful split with Emmerdale actor, and long-term relationship with Death in Paradise detective appeared first on Entertainment Daily.