Charlie Lawson has married his fiancée Debbie Stanley in a lavish ceremony at the Shrigley Hall Hotel & Spa in Cheshire.
The 64-year-old Coronation Street star, best known for his role as fiery patriarch Jim McDonald in the soap, has been engaged to his partner, 59, for over a decade.
The ceremony was officiated by Charlie’s close friend Eamonn Holmes and attended by several other soap stars.
Simon Gregson, Vicky Entwistle, Alison King, Eva Pope, Claire King and Kym Marsh were all in attendance.
Other famous faces on the guest list included Slade’s Noddy Holder, ex-footballer Willie Morgan and This Morning’s resident therapists Nik and Eva Speakman.
The knot tied! Charlie Lawson has married his fiancée Debbie Stanley in a lavish ceremony at the Shrigley Hall Hotel & Spa in Cheshire (pictured 2019)
Star-studded affair: The ceremony was officiated by Charlie’s close friend Eamonn Holmes and was attended by several other soap stars
Charlie and Debbie have been together for 22 years and officially became husband and wife at Macclesfield Register Office two weeks earlier.
The actor arrived at the hotel by helicopter and discussed their wedding with OK! and said, “I just wanted to keep going.” Bringing actors together is like herding cats.
“We could have done the wedding two weeks ago, but we had to see who could do it.”
“On the day of the wedding, as we were getting ready for the helicopter ride, I was tired of waiting – I couldn’t go fast enough.”
However, he admitted he choked up when he saw his bride walk down the aisle in her wedding dress.
Charlie said: “When you’ve been in love with someone for so long – 22 years – you still get so excited waiting to see them and Debbie looked extraordinary and very beautiful.” It was a wonderful moment when she walked down the aisle. I shed a tear.’
The ceremony was attended by 68 guests, including Debbie’s daughter Sophia and grandchildren Reuben and Noah, and 200 others showed up for the reception.
Simon, who played Charlie’s son Steve in Corrie, was best man after fellow actor Neil Morrissey was unable to attend the day due to work commitments.
It’s been a long time coming: the 64-year-old Coronation Street star, best known for playing fiery patriarch Jim McDonald in the soap, has been engaged to his partner, 59, for over a decade (pictured Corrie).
Newlyweds: Charlie and Debbie have been together for 22 years and officially became husband and wife at Macclesfield Register Office two weeks earlier
He brought the audience to its feet with a hilarious and touching speech, gushing, “I’m so, so, so proud to be your friend and I love you both very much.”
Debbie praised: “Simon’s speech was incredible.” He spends a lot of time at home with us and therefore knows us very well.
“He joked about some of the things he wanted to say and I told him, ‘No, please don’t say that.’ But he’s a comedian, so it was really funny. But even during the emotional moments everyone cried.’
Charlie explained he chose Eamonn to serve because of their long-standing friendship and because he hoped it would give him “a little bit of a boost” after his recent health problems.
He revealed that other stars who couldn’t make it to the wedding were invited, including Beverley Callard, Sarah Lancashire and Bill Roache.
He added that deciding who to put on the guest list was a difficult task because “not everyone I know in this world gets along.”
Alison, who plays Carla Connor in Corrie, was one of Debbie’s eight bridesmaids on her special day.
Charlie cut an elegant figure in a navy suit with a blue tie and a floral boutonniere to match Debbie’s bouquet.
Sweet: Simon Gregson, who played Charlie’s son Steve in Corrie, was best man and brought the audience to their feet with a hilarious and touching speech (Simon and Charlie pictured on soap)
Close friends: Charlie explained he chose Eamonn to lead the office because of their long-standing friendship and because he hoped it would give him “a bit of a boost” after his recent health problems (pictured together in June).
The bride, who works for a domestic violence organization, looked radiant in a white beaded bodice with a sweetheart neckline.
She paired it with elegant matching trousers and a sleek long flowing white coat over it.
Debbie revealed her bridal outfit was inspired by a famous soap wedding and said it was a “dream come true”.
She explained that the idea came from Kim Tate’s outfit for her 2022 Emmerdale wedding, which she wore while riding a horse.
Debbie said she asked Kim actress Claire for the contact details of a seamstress who designed the outfit for her and said it perfectly matched a picture she drew of herself when she was six.
The couple partied the night away, the party lasted until 4am and also included celebrity karaoke, with Hear’Say’s Kym performing her smash hit Pure and Simple.
The newlywed party animals didn’t let the evening end there and revealed that they then held an afterparty where they drank champagne with Vicky Entwhistle until half past three.
Charlie is happily ever after: he lost his late wife Lesley Bond, who struggled with prescription medication and alcohol addiction.
Lesley died of hypothermia after a fall in 2010 at the age of 55, a year after he began dating his now-fiancée Debbie.
In 2019, The Daily Mirror revealed that Charlie had to break up with Lesley before her death because “it became too dangerous to be with her.”