Farrel Jo Hegarty was born on 27 January 1988 in
Wakefield,
West Yorkshire. She studied at
East 15 Acting School, graduating with a
BA Hons in 2010. Hegarty is a
lesbian and is in a relationship with a woman who lives in Australia. Her first television role was in an episode of the
ITV soap opera
Emmerdale in 2014. She went on to appear in a series of short films, with minor roles in the films
My Dinner with Hervé and ''Big Boys Don't Cry
. In 2021, she appeared in episode of Murder, They Hope; the following year, she played a receptionist in the film The Pay Day
. In 2024, she appeared in episodes of The Dating Game
and Brassic, as well as a short film Silent Night''. Hegarty is also a content creator on
TikTok, often sharing sketch videos. In February 2025, Hegarty joined the cast of the ITV soap opera
Coronation Street as
Lou Michaelis. She debuted alongside her husband
Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton) and is subsequently revealed as the mother of
Brody Michaelis (
Ryan Mulvey), who is in a young offender's institution. Brody's paternity is subsequently revealed not to be Mick, but
Kit Green (
Jacob Roberts). Her character was sent to prison in July 2025, with Hegarty departing the show before returning in February 2026. ==Filmography==