Michelle Keegan has been reflecting on her Coronation Street exit and musing how it was a risk to leave the ITV soap.
The actress, 35, played the role of Tina McIntyre from 2008 until 2014, before making the jump and walking away from the security of a regular salary on the ITV soap.
Thankfully for Michelle, the risk paid off and she went on to become one of the nation's favourite TV stars, but that doesn't mean the star didn't once fear she would never act again.
The Stockport-born actress says she had to come to terms with the fact she might never land another TV job when quitting the cobbled streets of Weatherfield and reveals the alternative career she would have pursued had things not worked out.
Michelle, who is married to former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright, has won praise for her stints on series like Our Girl, Sky comedy Brassic and ITV drama Tina and Bobby over recent years.
The 35-year-old won't ever return to her soap roots following her 2014 Coronation Street exit, thanks to her on-screen character Tina being killed off at the hands of Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis).
Reflecting on her decision to quit Corrie, Michelle recalls: "I always said to myself, 'If I don't get a job after this, at least I've had a good run': not many people can say they've had this career for six and a half years.
"The decision to leave was always a risk but it was the right thing for me at the time, so I'd never have regretted it. If it hadn't worked out, I'd have done something to do with dogs – that's my happy place."
Speaking to the Radio Times, Michelle remembers how scary it was to return to the world of auditioning once again after filming her final scenes as Tina.
"It was terrifying. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd get Corrie so I went along to that audition with the mindset that it would just be good experience," she explains.
"Then, after seven years, to go back into the big wide world again was scary. A soap is so safe."
It's hard to imagine a world where Michelle isn't a huge star in the world of British TV, with even her husband Mark rushing to heap praise on the talented actress.
Speaking in 2021, the reality TV star gushed: "I’m extremely proud. I feel very lucky. The one thing I’ll say. I’m not arrogant or confident about any kind of talent because I can’t sing to save my life. I can’t act; like my wife’s a born actress and is incredible at what she does. I can’t do that.
"I took a long long time to learn how to present TV, a long time to learn how to present radio. Yes I had a talent in football, not enough to go all the way. The one thing I will be arrogant about and confident about is I’ll always be the hardest working man in the room."
Rising to fame as an original member of the cast of The Only Way is Essex, over the years Mark has forged a successful career for himself as a popular presenter and radio host.
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