Coronation Street has a brand new character on its cobbled street as Amy Robbins joins the cast as Christina Boyd, the long-lost mother of Daisy Midgeley, a character set to cause a few sparks in the fictional northern town of Weatherfield.
She burst onto our screens on Monday night on ITV as she reunited with her estranged daughter - much to the disdain of Daisy. But while this is her first trip to the Rover's Return, it isn't her first brush with stardom, nor is it her debut on a soap.
Far from it. The 51-year-old, who hails from Liverpool, is no stranger to a life on stage and screen as it seems talent runs in the family - some members of which are pretty well known. Keen soap fans will recognise Amy from rival shows like Emmerdale, EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Holby City and more.
Speaking of obtaining this new soap role, Amy said - as reported by the Daily Star: "My family are all really pleased for me. They know how much this Coronation Street role means to me. We are never competitive with each other and we are all very close. My dad, Michael, worked in variety all his life and my mum, Elizabeth, sang. Showbusiness is in our DNA, it’s a family business that has lasted generations."
So who is Amy Robbins? Who are her famous family members? And where have we seen her before?
Here's everything we know.
Who is Amy Robbins?
Her surname may ring a certain bell for you if you've been watching telly since the 80s (she featured on a television show named Robbins with her siblings) but in case you are unaware, Amy Robbins is an English actress who trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) before going on to land roles in hit television shows such as The Royal as Dr Jill Weatherill, Stephanie Morelle in World's End and Police Sergeant Rachel James in BBC's Casualty.
In 2003 she married her The Royal co-star Robert Daws with whom she shares two children.
And while the actress is English - more specifically from the Wirral - it seems she has some Welsh blood in her through her grandfather Ted Robbins. Apparently, he was a Welsh football administrator for the Football Association of Wales from 1909 to 1946. But he's not the only star to light up her family.
Amy's famous family
Amy and her grandfather aren't the only two in the Robbins family to have made a name for themselves. In fact, her siblings, one cousin once remove and niece and nephew are already pretty successful.
Her brother Ted has appeared in Corrie too but is also known for films like Calender Girls, The Slammer, Diddy Movies and Benidorm - to name a few.
Speaking on Lorraine on Wednesday, January 25, Amy told the 63-year-old host: "When I rang him to tell him I got the part, because we often chatted about it, his advice was 'don't underestimate how you're going to feel standing in the pub, in the Rover's. Cause it's as overwhelming as you think it's going to be."
Alongside her brother, her sister Kate is a singer, songwriter and actress who reached number two in the UK charts in the 80s with the song 'More Than in Love' and appeared in high-profile shows like Spitting Image, After Life and EastEnders. Her sister Emma is an actress as well, while another sibling, Jane, is an artist, actress and musician who was a member of the UK's Eurovision entry in 1980 called Prima Donna.
That's not all. Amy's niece is famous actress, comedian, and television personality Emily Atack through her sister Kate. Amy's first cousin once removed is none other than The Beatles' Paul McCartney.
As reported by the Daily Star, Paul is Amy's mum's cousin and she has said of him: "He's everything you would hope him to be, genuinely lovely."
Speaking on Lorraine, Amy said that acting is 'the family business' and told her: "We didn't really get much of a choice when it came to it. Lots of families have a business that you all go into and it does seem to be the one that we've all [done]. It's what our parents did, my dad was in variety, it's what we all grew up with. It's what we all knew best. And now it's carrying on to the generation beneath us. A lot of my nephews and most of my nieces. My own daughters are show signs of that kind of thing."
Amy's acting career - and the rival soaps she's been in
Being on a big show like Coronation Street should be a walk in the park for Amy as not only has she been in one soap before, but she's been in multiple. In 1999, she played Jane Carter in EasterEnders, Emma Pearson in Noah's Ark, Isla in Holby City, Sgt. Rachel James in Casualty, Dr. Jill Weatherill in The Royal from 2003 to 2011, Susie Dyerson in Doctors, Lynette Drinkwell in Hollyoaks and even made several returns to EastEnders as a different character- Caren. In 2022 she joined Emmerdale for a short while as Defence Barrister Milligan before touching down in Manchester for Corrie. And that's just a handful of her television stints.
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV1 and ITVX. For more TV and showbiz stories, subscribe to our newsletter here.
READ NEXT:
- Strictly star Ola Jordan shares impressive 'before' and 'after' weight loss photos of her husband James
- Married at First Sight UK's George shares wedding photo of himself with a mystery bride
- Loose Women's Nadia Sawalha hailed 'an inspiration' for her empowering body acceptance message and 'cellulite' bikini photos
- Eamonn Holmes on how a member of S Club 7 helped him during health battle
- BBC Happy Valley viewers gripped by tense final five minutes of episode and can't stop thinking about it
