Inside Coronation Street’s Dev star Jimmi Harkishin’s life – from drug troubles to real name

Coronation Street’s Dev Alahan, played by Jimmi Harkishin, has been a familiar face on the cobbles since 1999. His character has had quite the journey, from discovering he had a secret daughter to his short-lived marriage to Sunita and the arrival of his twins.

In recent scenes, Bernie Winter (played by Jane Hazlegrove) tells Dev about the son she gave up for adoption. It comes after the pair had an emotional conversation about Dev’s children which saw him talk about regret and how heavy it weighs on not seeing them all.

However, off-screen, Jimmi leads a very different life. Born in Paris on March 19 1965, the actor comes from a diverse background with an Indian father and an Italian mother.

Dev Alahan, played by Jimmi Harkishin, has starred in Coronation Street since 1999
(Image: ITV)

While he’s known as Jimmi Harkishin on the ITV soap, his real name is actually Rajan Harkishindas. Despite being in the spotlight, Jimmi tends to keep his personal life under wraps, reports the Mirror.

It’s known that he has two children with his former partner Susan, whom he dated from 1991, but his current relationship status remains a mystery. Despite keeping his personal life under wraps, Jimmi’s life has been anything but low-key.

Drug troubles

The soap star found himself in hot water back on November 7 2004 when he was reportedly caught switching price tags on an item he wanted to buy. Not long after, he made headlines again, this time being snapped by The News of the World allegedly using cocaine.

The actor found himself in some hot water away from the cobbles
(Image: Getty Images)

A Granada spokesperson at the time shared: “”Both Granada and Jimmi recognise he has some problems that he needs to sort out. He will be taking a break from the show while he seeks help to deal with these issues. This is with the full support of the Company, Coronation Street and his colleagues.”

Despite the drama, Jimmi had already shot five weeks’ worth of episodes, and the soap’s writers quickly tweaked storylines to cover for his sudden absence.

Corrie role

Before becoming Weatherfield’s beloved shopkeeper Dev Alahan, Jimmi had been honing his acting chops for a decade. His pre-Corrie career saw him take on roles like Jose Cuervo in the kids’ series Uncle Jack and Dr Jay Rahman in the drama Medics.

Jimmi has always been clear about his dedication to Coronation Street, telling Mirror Online: “I just love it. I’m an actor and I get to act every week.

Jimmi said he “loves” starring in Coronation Street
(Image: ITV)

“Coronation Street is just this brilliant, brilliant programme, to work for. It feels like home and I never forget how fortunate I am to do something I love. I think to myself, ‘Is there anything I’d really like to go out there and do more than I like doing Corrie? ‘ The answer to that is, ‘No’. If there was, I’d do it.”

During his stint on the ITV soap, Dev has been at the centre of some of the show’s most dramatic plots, including a stormy love affair with Deidre Barlow that fans still remember years on.

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