Coronation Street fan-favorite Jane Hazlegrove has opened up in an emotional and candid interview, revealing why she kept her marriage to Emmerdale actress Isobel Middleton a secret for years—and why she’s never been prouder of anything in her life.

The 57-year-old actress, who plays Bernie Winter on Corrie, shared that although she and Isobel met back in 1995 and entered into a civil partnership in 2010, they didn’t officially marry until 2015. But the journey to “I do” wasn’t one either of them publicized.

In fact, Jane initially resisted the idea of getting married at all.

“I didn’t want to do it originally,” she told The Daily Mirror. “I didn’t want to do it just because the government now said we could.”

The “government” she refers to is David Cameron’s Conservative-led coalition, which legalized same-sex marriage in the UK in 2014. For Jane, a lifelong nonconformist, it felt wrong to marry simply because permission had finally been granted.

“I’ve never been part of a gang,” she explained. “I like to think of myself as someone who doesn’t conform.”

So Jane and Isobel chose to marry quietly, away from cameras, headlines, and even friends. “We didn’t tell anybody. We just went and did it ourselves. All we had to do was take a gas bill and upgrade!” she added with a laugh. “Really romantic!”

Their celebration was refreshingly low-key: “We then invited six friends around for a curry.”

But despite the simplicity, Jane describes the wedding as one of the most meaningful moments of her life. “It was a beautiful thing and a bit of a shock,” she said. “I still can’t believe it, and I’m so proud that we’ve done it. I’m so proud of my love for Isobel. It’s my greatest achievement, regardless of my career.”

In a deeply personal reflection, Jane said, “I just can’t believe that I’m allowed to love this woman and live the life I live without being persecuted and hounded. Yes, you still meet homophobia every day, but I just smile at the homophobes and try to educate them and lead from the front.”

The love story isn’t the only surprise Jane has shared with fans recently. In an interview with My Weekly, she revealed that her Coronation Street role was never supposed to be long-term.

“I only came into Coronation Street for 10 episodes to get a new bathroom,” she said with classic deadpan honesty. “I’d run out of money, and when they said, ‘Will you come and do Corrie for a bit,’ I thought, ‘Yes! That will pay for a nice white suite!’”

But what started as a 10-episode cameo to fund a home improvement turned into a six-year run that shows no signs of ending. “I’ve been here for six years now, and I’ve just signed for another year,” she shared proudly.

As Bernie Winter, Jane has become one of the soap’s most beloved characters—a working-class matriarch with a sharp tongue, a fierce loyalty to her family, and a heart as big as the Rovers.

And soon, on screen, Bernie herself will be walking down the aisle. In the upcoming storyline, her character is set to marry businessman Dev Alahan (played by Jimmi Harkishin). Life imitating art? Perhaps. But for Jane, nothing will ever top the quiet, curry-fueled wedding she shared with the woman she loves.

“It still makes me emotional,” she said, “that after everything we’ve been through, after decades of not being allowed, we were finally able to say we’re married.”