Coronation Street star Kimberly Hart-Simpson has recently revealed she is returning to the soap.
But while she's been away, she's been helping out at a charity shop.
Since October Kimberly, who has been back filming as Nicky Wheatley in Corrie, has been volunteering at a British Heart Foundation store.
The actress is often wowing fans by showing off her latest looks on Instagram and usually, it ends up being a bargain buy from the charity shop.
READ MORE: ITV Coronation Street fans in age confusion as characters disappear again
Earlier this month Kimberly struck a pose in an eye-catching leather look cropped top with distressed jeans in a snap shared on her Instagram.
And fans were even more impressed when she revealed that she had snapped up the bronze lace-up top for just £2.
"I’ve gone to their shops near me for years, not just to shop but to chat with the staff because I became friends with them," Kimberly has now told the Mirror.
Explaining how she got involved in working there herself, she said: "The charity have done a big volunteering drive as the numbers of shop volunteers they had fell after lockdown, so I’ve been doing it around my schedule and it’s become a home from home to me.
Kimberly said she tends to stick with working in the stockroom and getting donations ready to go on sale but she can sometimes wander to the shop floor.
"It’s lovely chatting to customers coming in," the soap star said. "You meet the best people."
And there is a personal reason behind Kimberly's decision to work at the BHF shop in Manchester.
Her sister Emma Simpson, who is in her forties, was diagnosed with a chronic heart condition a few years ago.
Kimberly says donations to the charity helped save her much-loved sister’s life, as these go towards funding scientific research for new medicines and other treatments for people affected by heart problems.
Corrie fans are still waiting to see Kimberly back on the cobbles after last being seen on the soap in September.
Nicky was a sex worker who grew close to grieving Daniel Osbourne following the tragic death of his wife Sinead.
For all the latest Corrie news and more you can sign up to our newsletter here .
