Strangeways Prison is only two miles from the Coronation Street set in Manchester but it feels a whole world away for actress Jodie Prenger.
The West End star arrived on the cobbles earlier this year to take on the role of bubbly Glenda Shuttleworth and is now happily ensconced behind the bar of the Rovers Return.
But she will never forget her early days as a struggling singer and when she once performed inside the notorious Category A prison.
"When you've performed at Strangeways, anything above that is heaven," the 43-year-old recalls with a laugh.
"It was in my cabaret days and I performed for the wardens' working men's club. I had to get changed in a cell.
"At Corrie they think I'm too excited when I go in my dressing room but they don’t know where I've been.
"I've had a lot of knockbacks and rejections. As a teen I was bullied off my musical theatre course and after 10 years trying to make it on the club and cabaret circuit, I told my mum I was too old and I was going to give up.
"I used to be the support act for Ken Dodd, Frank Carson and Joe Pasquale.
"At one club, this little kid at the front had a BB gun and started firing pellets at me and I'd have people get out their sandwiches in the middle of a ballad.
“These days, there’s a lot of instant fame. But when you’ve had experiences like that, it makes you appreciate what you’ve got.”
Having grown up watching Corrie, Jodie was thrilled when she got a call saying the ITV soap had created the part of bolshy cruise ship singer Glenda, the sister of undertaker George Shuttleworth, especially for her.
She says of her August debut: "On my first day I stood in the corner crying. It sounds corny but it’s that pinnacle moment in anyone's career."
And Glenda has proved a natural as a Rovers barmaid, decorating the pub for Halloween and organising a raucous quiz night. “The joy of being part of a knees-up in the Rovers for an actress is like going to Disney World when you’re a 10-year-old,” Jodie says.
Do you enjoy reading about celebrities? Sign up for all the best celeb news from the Mirror here .
"It was so much fun to watch that episode back as it reminded me how hard I'd had to try not to laugh while filming."
Glenda hosted the night in a sparkly jacket and Jodie says a shared dress sense is just one of the ways she and her larger-than-life character are alike.
"With some of her clothes I think, 'I might buy that myself.' And you know you dress very similar to your character when people in the corridor go, 'Oh, is that yours?' and I say, 'No, it’s Glenda's.' Like Glenda, I worked on a cruise ship and, like Glenda, I love fun. I adore her."
As Corrie's 69th barmaid, Jodie is following in the footsteps of some of the soap’s most iconic characters.
"I still walk into the Rovers and think, ‘Oh my God!’ It’s like an out- of-body experience," she says.
"My first memory is of Jack and Vera Duckworth running the pub and I also loved Betty and Eva Price. There have been some big shoes to fill – and some big bras to fill as well! Bet Lynch and that era of glamour was iconic."
Jodie, 43, grew up in Blackpool with parents Madeleine and Marty, who ran a hotel. "People would have big knees-ups in the bar," she recalls. "I didn’t understand at that age that I wanted to be an actress but I loved the entertainment and fun."
Jodie's path to the top was not easy and she had her first setback at seven. "The school dance club asked me to leave, they said I was too chubby!" she says.
At 16, she enrolled for a BTEC in Performing Arts at college. But she says: "I was bullied off it. Kids can be brutal and if I got a lead role, there was jealousy. They turned my mic off when I was performing."
TV entertainer Michael Barrymore proved to be something of a saviour, after Jodie auditioned to appear on his show My Kind of People.
"He took me under his wing and my old cabaret name was Jodie More, as a nod to Michael," she says. "He was lovely and invited me back twice on his musical show, My Kind of Music."
In 2006, at 27, Jodie hit headlines when she won weight loss contest The Biggest Loser. Having started the show at 18st, she finished at 9st 9lb.
She says weight is of less concern now, explaining: "You see more realistic women in mags and ads. People contact me and say they can't perform due to their size and I say, 'There is a role for whatever size you are.'"
And after spending most of her 20s performing in clubs and pubs across the north of England, Jodie's big break came at 29 when she auditioned for I'd Do Anything. Her win in the reality TV contest landed her the role of Nancy in Oliver! in the West End.
Jodie lives in Lancashire with fiancé Simon Booth and their animals – including cows, chickens, ducks, dogs and cats. They have been engaged 10 years and are in no rush to marry.
"I've got cowsheds to build, I can't afford a wedding!" Jodie laughs. "My dream is to run an animal sanctuary, although in some ways I already do. I've got 18 rescues. But I still want a rescue pig, an alpaca and a goat."
And that is now the only thing left on Jodie's bucket list, as landing the role of Glenda ticked off her other outstanding dream. "I know it sounds soppy but Corrie was the one,” she smiles. “Now I can die happy!"
Explore all things Corrie at itv.com/coronationstreet and follow the soap on Twitter, @itvcorrie
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
