It is a strange kind of fame when you are a highly recognizable television star, but fans only want you to hold their phone. Claire Cooper opened up on Monday about the surprisingly funny reality of navigating public life with her husband, Emmett J Scanlan. As Scanlan’s career continues to explode across major British television dramas, Cooper is finding herself repeatedly cast in a brand new role. The designated photographer.
The actress shared the hilarious anecdote during an April 13 interview with the Independent. Fans frequently approach the couple while they are out and about. But instead of asking for a picture with both of them, people just hand Cooper their phone. They want her to take the picture of them posing alongside her husband. It is a lighthearted dynamic that highlights just how intensely visible Scanlan has become.
Both actors initially built massive, dedicated fanbases on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. They first met on the set back in 2010. While Cooper is still heavily celebrated for her iconic run as Jacqui McQueen, Scanlan’s trajectory has shifted aggressively into prestige television. He is currently riding a massive wave of mainstream recognition. Fans are flocking to him following a string of high-profile, intense roles in massive hits like Kin, The Fall, Peaky Blinders, and ITV’s gripping police thrillers. The network’s current drama landscape is shifting quickly, especially after ITV cancelled The Tower, but Scanlan’s footprint in the entertainment world just keeps expanding.
They married in New York on New Year’s Eve in 2015. They now share two young children, Ocean and Fiáin-Luna. Navigating a high-profile marriage while balancing raising a family is notoriously difficult. Navigating it while one partner is suddenly everywhere is even harder. But Cooper seems to be taking the bizarre fan interactions completely in stride.
The reality of modern television fame is rarely glamorous. Sometimes it just means standing on the sidewalk and making sure the lighting is good for a stranger’s social media post. It perfectly captures the shifting nature of celebrity visibility. Especially as audiences pivot heavily toward prestige streaming dramas and massive reality events like the upcoming Celebrity Bake Off 2026. The fans get their photo. Scanlan gets the spotlight. And Cooper gets a brilliant story to tell.