
Helen George 2026: Relationship, New Role & ADHD Diagnosis
A woman who spent years on screen wearing perfect 1950s lipstick and keeping everyone else’s secrets has started sharing a very different kind of story. Helen George, best known as Trixie Franklin on Call the Midwife, said in March 2026 that she had spent her whole life covering up her ADHD before finally trying medication — a disclosure she made on the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast Daily Express (UK tabloid).
Children: 2 daughters (Wren and Lark) ·
Relationship with Jack Ashton ended: 2023 ·
New stage role: High Society revival (2025) ·
ADHD diagnosis and treatment: March 2026
Quick snapshot
- Split from Jack Ashton in 2023 after a seven-year relationship Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)
- Two daughters, Wren and Lark Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)
- ADHD diagnosis shared publicly in March 2026 iHeart (podcast platform)
- Whether her reported relationship with Dan Innes is still current — neither has publicly confirmed it
- Whether Jack Ashton has a new partner
- Whether the earlier Olly Rix speculation had any basis
- 2023 — seven-year relationship with Jack Ashton ends (WalesOnline (Welsh news site))
- February 2025 — reported to be dating Dan Innes WalesOnline (Welsh news site)
- March 2026 — reveals she waited four years before starting ADHD medication iHeart (podcast platform)
- High Society UK tour continues, including Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre in August 2026 BBC News (UK public broadcaster)
- She remains on Call the Midwife as Trixie Franklin (BBC News (UK public broadcaster))
- Ongoing trial of ADHD medication to see whether it helps TV Insider (entertainment news site)
Nine facts, one pattern: the public record is solid, while the personal timeline still carries reported, unconfirmed details.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Helen George |
| Born | 1984 (widely reported; exact date not verified) Wikipedia (open encyclopedia) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Known For | Trixie Franklin on Call the Midwife, played for more than a decade iHeart (podcast platform) |
| Children | Two daughters, Wren and Lark, with Jack Ashton |
| Relationship Status | Reportedly dating Dan Innes since February 2025; not publicly confirmed |
| ADHD Diagnosis | Revealed in March 2026; she is now trying medication to see whether it helps TV Insider (entertainment news site) |
| Recent Stage Role | Tracy Samantha Lord in High Society West End Theatre (London theatre guide) |
| Ex-Partner | Jack Ashton, who played Reverend Tom Hereward |
Does Helen George have a partner now?
Relationship with Jack Ashton
- The seven-year relationship with Call the Midwife co-star Jack Ashton ended in 2023 Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)
- The couple met during the show’s production and have two daughters, Wren and Lark
George has never publicly detailed why the relationship ended, and neither she nor Ashton has turned the split into a public drama. The timeline that matters for fans is simpler: the relationship lasted seven years, ran through the birth of both daughters, and was over by the time reports of a new romance appeared in early 2025.
The implication: a private breakup handled quietly, with the co-parenting arrangement kept out of the headlines.
Reported relationship with Dan Innes
- WalesOnline reported in February 2025 that George had begun dating Dan Innes, following her previous relationship with Call the Midwife co-star Jack Ashton WalesOnline (Welsh news site)
George has not publicly confirmed the relationship, and neither she nor Innes has addressed it in an interview. The WalesOnline report was detailed enough to name him and date the relationship to February 2025, but it stopped short of quoting either of them, which is why the story has stayed in the “reported” column rather than the “confirmed” one.
The pattern: the reports are detailed, the confirmation is absent, and the tabloid cycle moves on.
The Olly Rix speculation
- Tabloid and social-media speculation briefly linked George with Call the Midwife co-star Olly Rix
- Neither actor has confirmed or commented on the speculation
The Rix rumors circulated mostly in fan spaces and entertainment chatter, and they cooled once the WalesOnline report about Dan Innes appeared. Without an on-record statement, the connection remains exactly what it was: speculation.
The takeaway: an unconfirmed rumor is only a rumor, no matter how many timelines it trends on.
George rarely comments on romance; the public record is built almost entirely from what other people report about her.
What does Jack Ashton do now?
Jack Ashton’s career after Call the Midwife
- Ashton’s most recognised role remains Reverend Tom Hereward on Call the Midwife WalesOnline (Welsh news site)
- His character left the series in season 12
Since the character’s exit, Ashton has kept a low public profile. His post-Midwife work has not been the subject of significant entertainment reporting, and he does not appear to court the kind of coverage that follows his former partner.
What this means: the “where is he now” answer is mostly that he’s been successfully out of the spotlight.
Is Jack Ashton dating anyone new?
- No reliable reporting confirms whether Ashton has a new partner
- His current relationship status has not been confirmed by any major outlet
For now, the honest answer to one of the most-asked questions about the former couple is that nobody outside Ashton’s inner circle knows.
The implication: Ashton’s privacy is intact because he never turned his personal life into content.
Does Helen George have children?
Wren and Lark
- George and Ashton have two daughters: Wren and Lark
- TV Insider reported that George’s ADHD diagnosis came after Lark was born in June 2021, and that a conversation with a friend with ADHD was the “lightbulb moment” that led her to seek one TV Insider (entertainment news site)
- Woman & Home gives a different date for Lark’s birth — November 2021 Woman & Home (lifestyle magazine)
The June-versus-November discrepancy is a reminder that celebrity birth dates are only as reliable as the outlet reporting them. What both accounts agree on is that the diagnosis came after Lark arrived, and that the timing shaped how George now talks about her health.
The catch: when reporters disagree on a month, the meaningful detail is the event that followed — the diagnosis.
Co-parenting with Jack Ashton
- George and Ashton continue to co-parent Wren and Lark
- George has said she wants to be at her best for her children
The co-parenting arrangement has stayed out of the headlines, which, for two actors raising young children across two households, is itself a kind of achievement.
An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood rarely ends the story — George waited four years before trying medication, and she is now testing whether it actually helps.
Why this matters: the split made tabloid news, but the parenting relationship has remained the quiet constant.
How old is Helen George?
Early life and career
- George was born in 1984, according to the widely repeated public record — her exact birth date is not widely published
- She has played Nurse Trixie Franklin for more than a decade, with the character later becoming Trixie, Lady Aylward
For a British actress whose career is defined by a period drama, the vagueness about her age is unusual only because it’s so rare. The year 1984 is repeated across profiles, but the day and month rarely surface in entertainment coverage. Her stage work, including the High Society revival, has only widened the gap between the polished on-screen persona and the biography fans can actually verify.
The trade-off: a private birth date is a small price for an actress whose character’s hairstyle generates more copy than her age.
Marriage history
- George has never been married, according to the public record
- Her two children were born during her seven-year relationship with Ashton, without a wedding
Marriage is one of those biography boxes that simply stays empty. Two children, a seven-year relationship, and a reported new romance, but no marriage certificate has ever appeared in the public record.
The pattern: the institution is missing from a timeline that otherwise follows every traditional beat.
Does Helen George wear a wig on Call the Midwife?
Behind the scenes of Call the Midwife
- Trixie Franklin’s sculpted 1950s updo is a period wig, consistent with the show’s styling of its midwives
- BBC News noted that George’s High Society character had “unlikely parallels” with Trixie, pointing to the actress’s range beyond the series BBC News (UK public broadcaster)
The wig question comes up because Trixie’s platinum curls are so identifiable. The look is production design, not a personal statement. The same discipline carries into George’s stage work, where a musical lead demands a different kind of presence entirely.
The pattern: fans ask about the wig because the character is so fully realised that the actress behind it disappears.
Tom Hereward’s storyline
- Jack Ashton played Tom Hereward, the clergyman who married Trixie on the show
- Tom left Call the Midwife in season 12, ending the on-screen couple’s storyline
The on-screen romance between Trixie and Tom overlapped with the real-life relationship between George and Ashton, which is why fans still track both timelines so closely.
High Society is the clearest sign yet that George intends to be more than Trixie Franklin — a musical lead with a Cole Porter songbook is a different kind of spotlight.
Why this matters: for viewers, Tom and Trixie’s marriage was supposed to be the fairy-tale ending; the reality was more complicated.
Helen George timeline: 2023 to 2026
Five dates, one pattern: the public milestones cluster around the moments she chose to speak or step on stage.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Seven-year relationship with Jack Ashton ends | |
| Reported to be dating Dan Innes | |
| Announced as Tracy Lord in the High Society stage revival West End Theatre (London theatre guide) | |
| Reveals ADHD diagnosis on the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast and says she waited four years before starting medication | |
| High Society UK tour reaches the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham |
The sequence matters: the relationship ended, a new one was reported, a stage role followed, and then the health disclosure reframed everything that came before it. Every major update arrived through her work — a podcast episode, a stage announcement — rather than through formal statements.
What’s confirmed, what’s not
Confirmed facts
- Relationship with Jack Ashton ended in 2023 after seven years Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)
- George and Ashton have two daughters, Wren and Lark WalesOnline (Welsh news site)
- George revealed her ADHD diagnosis in March 2026 and is now trying medication iHeart (podcast platform)
- She leads a 28-strong cast in High Society BroadwayWorld (theatre news site)
Rumors and open questions
- Whether she is still with Dan Innes
- Whether Jack Ashton has a new partner
- Her exact birth date
- Which Lark birth date is correct — June or November 2021
- Whether the Olly Rix speculation had any basis
The split between confirmed and rumored here is clean: the facts with multiple sources are the ones about children, career, and health; the open questions are all about romance. That is not an accident — George has simply never treated her love life as public material.
In their own words
I want to function at my best so I can mother at my best.
Helen George, reported by Daily Express (UK tabloid)
I waited four years before starting medication.
Helen George, speaking on I’m ADHD! No You’re Not (podcast via iHeart)
The role had “unlikely parallels” with Trixie Aylward, the character George has played for more than a decade.
BBC News (UK public broadcaster)
Read together, the quotes show a performer who is careful with her public language: motherhood is the anchor, health is the new chapter, and the stage role is the bridge between the two.
Where Helen George stands now
Helen George’s public story in 2026 is no longer a Call the Midwife sidebar. A reported new relationship, a diagnosis she chose to share, and a stage role that echoes her most famous character have turned a period of personal upheaval into a decisively public chapter. For fans of Trixie Franklin, the choice is clear: catch her on the High Society tour, or keep following her on Call the Midwife — but either way, the woman behind the wig is finally telling her own story.
Related reading
- Patrick Dempsey 2026: Health, Marriage & Grey’s Anatomy Facts
- Davina McCall: Health, Relationships, and Biography Facts
Frequently asked questions
What is the High Society revival featuring Helen George?
It is a new stage production of the musical High Society, based on the 1956 film and Philip Barry’s play The Philadelphia Story. George plays Tracy Samantha Lord, a Long Island socialite whose wedding plans fall apart over one weekend West End Theatre (London theatre guide).
When does the High Society tour begin in 2026?
The tour was already underway by August 2026, when the production reached the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham BBC News (UK public broadcaster). The complete tour schedule and opening night date have not been stated in the coverage cited here.
Where will High Society be performed?
Reported venues include the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham as part of the UK tour, with a London run at the Barbican also mentioned in production coverage West End Theatre (London theatre guide).
What role does Helen George play in High Society?
She plays Tracy Samantha Lord, the wealthy bride at the centre of the story. BroadwayWorld lists George at the head of a 28-strong cast for the production BroadwayWorld (theatre news site).
Is Helen George still on Call the Midwife?
Yes. She has played Trixie Franklin for more than a decade and remains in the cast, balancing the series with her stage work in High Society.
Does Helen George have any upcoming TV projects?
No new television projects have been publicly announced. Her major 2025 announcement was the High Society stage revival, alongside her continuing role on Call the Midwife.
How did Helen George and Jack Ashton meet?
They met while working on Call the Midwife, where Ashton played Reverend Tom Hereward. Their relationship later produced two daughters, Wren and Lark, before ending in 2023.