'Everyone's juggling something - we have to help each other'

She's graced our screens on Emmerdale and Corrie. Now single mum Hayley Tamaddon is campaigning for all children to get a proper brekkie before school

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From the drama of Coronation Street and Emmerdale to her dazzling routines on Dancing On Ice, Hayley Tamaddon has been on our TV screens for 20 years. Today, the single mum is channelling her energy into a cause close to her heart - fighting to ensure every child in the UK has a decent breakfast before school.

Hayley, 48, who played Delilah “Del” Dingle in Emmerdale and Andrea Beckett in Coronation Street, has teamed up with Magic Breakfast — a charity that provides primary schools with essential food items, including cereal, bagels, bread and milk.

“No kid in the UK should go to school with an empty tummy,” she told us. “Food is fuel and eating breakfast helps children’s brains and muscles become stronger. Breakfast clubs also help them feel included and become more independent. There are many benefits.”

As mum to five-year-old son Jasper, it’s something she’s hugely passionate about. “It breaks my heart that we live in a time when not every child gets breakfast. I talk to Jasper about how lucky he is but I'd hope if I was ever really struggling, somebody would help me.”