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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

ITV Emmerdale stars Manpreet and Jai share forgotten Coronation Street connection

Emmerdale fans know them as Manpreet and Jai Sharma in the Dales but actors Rebecca Sarker and Chris Bisson actually share a Coronation Street connection.

Chris joined Emmerdale back in 2009 as the then factory worker as part of the newly cast Sharma family, while Rebecca took on the role of Manpreet in 2018.

Jai has had his fair share of trials and tribulations in the ITV soap, including battling a cocaine addiction and embarking on disastrous relationships.

READ MORE: Corrie's Billy, Todd and Summer stars delight fans as they pause for filming selfie as fans beg for reunion

This week, Emmerdale fans saw Jai offered an ultimatum by businesses partner Kim Tate. She will let him buy ex-girlfriend Laurel Thomas' house if he sells her his shares in The Hop.

It comes after the businessman was responsible for Laurel not being able to get a mortgage after he took a loan out in her name without her knowing to pay for the fine issued to The Hop following the Survival Day horror.

Meanwhile, Manpreet almost lost her life at the hands of her sister Meena after the serial killer kidnapped her and kept her hostage for weeks, claiming she had gone to see her daughter in Ibiza.

(SCU)

She is now dealing with the fallout alongside many of Meena's other victims after she was finally caught and charged with a raft of offences.

And while the characters may have spent some time as step-mother and step-son Emmerdale, they actually shared a different family relation on the cobbles.

Chris, from Wythenshawe, played Vikram Desai in Corrie from 1999 until 2002. Vikrm was Dev Alahan's cousin and ran the corner shop before it was Dev's. He was the co-founder of Street Cars alongside Steve McDonald.

Chris and Rebecca in Corrie as Vikram and Nita alongside Saeed Jaffrey as Rav (Granada Television)

Rebecca was already in Weatherfield playing Nita Desai, Vikram’s sister and his boss at the corner shop, before Chris arrive, who was Vikram’s sister and his boss at The Corner Shop.

Nita left the family business to join Freshco supermarket. and in 2000 she left the street for Inverness to run her own store while Vickram took a one-way trip to Mumbai after he got involved in drug smuggling to clear his gambling debts before clearing out Street Cars's tax account to leave in 2002.

Before his starring soap roles, Chris played JJ for 13 episodes in Children's Ward from 1990, before appearing in Cops and Where the Heart Is.

He also went on to appear in Prime Suspect, and Holby City but the 46-year-old may also be remembered for his role as Kash Karib in Shameless.

Whereas for Rebecca, Corrie was her debut TV role which led to her making appearances in Doctors, Holby City, Casualty and even BBC soap EastEnders, portraying Dr Newton.

READ MORE: ITV Coronation Street's Hayley and Becky stars reunite 10 years after sharing screen together

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