Ex-Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan has admitted a surprising truth about her soap exit.
Michelle shot to stardom after playing much-loved Rovers barmaid Tina McIntyre for six years on the cobbles.
Her character met a tragic demise in 2014 when she was killed by Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis) after he pushed her off the balcony of the Builder's Yard.
During an interview on The Graham Norton Show tonight (Friday, January 5), Michelle makes a surprising confession about her decision to leave the soap, admitting that she was worried she'd never work again.
She said: “For me, it was a massive learning platform. I took a long, long time to decide to leave – it was very hard.
"And then when they told me they were killing off my character and there was no going back, I thought I would never work again. My security was ripped away, which made me push forward and work harder.”
Michelle has gone on to become a huge success, starring in Ten Pound Poms, Brassic, Our Girl and more.
She is currently in new Netflix thriller, Fool Me Once alongside Dame Joanna Lumley who also reflected on her Corrie role recently.
Joanna appeared on the soap over 50 years ago in 1973 as Elaine Perkins, who had an affair with Ken Barlow (William Roache) after meeting him at a teaching function.
Their fling turned into a full-blown romance, with Ken even proposing to her and she turned him down.
Although she was only in eight episodes, Joanna revealed that she would still like to reprise her role in the future during her appearance on The One Show (Tuesday, January 2).
“I write every year so is there any chance? I was hoping to get back into Ken Barlow’s range again but anyway, we’ll wait and see. I’ve always said: ‘Yes, I’d come back like a shot.’”
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITVX.
