There's a cheeky glint in her eye as Sally Dynevor says Dancing On Ice has turned her into a diva – and that she’d love the chance to sex up the cobbles.
As the Corrie legend prepares to take to the rink again tomorrow, she tells the Sunday Mirror she is thrilled to be glamming it up. And she’s more than happy to be flying the flag for mature women everywhere – proving being 50-plus is no bar to adventure or success.
Sally, 58, has played soap busybody Sally Metcalfe for nearly four decades and this month received an MBE for services to drama.
She has loved swapping scripts for skates and enjoys every opportunity to don fancy garb.
“The first time you see yourself in hair pieces and fishnet tights, it’s a bit like, ‘Oh my God, who is that?’” she chuckles.
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“It’s so not me, I’m such a boy dresser, I’m in jeans every day, I don’t even wear dresses, so for me, it’s massive to go into these little sparkly things, but it’s great!
“I’ve never felt as sexy as I do when I’ve got those hair pieces in , the fishnet tights and the sequins on!
“How brilliant, 50-odd and you’re turning into a little diva! I’m secretly getting used to it. I might have to ask Corrie to write in a few scenes with me wearing hair extensions and fishnet tights.
“Wouldn’t that be great? I’d absolutely love that!”
This exuberance is a far cry from the nervous star who took to the ice for the first time seven weeks ago with professional partner Matt Evers, 45.
Sally has admitted she’s constantly in “fight or flight mode” as she battles her nerves.
But as the oldest contestant on the ITV show, she says she’s determined to inspire women watching at home that there is life after menopause. In fact, she sees her place in the show as a rally cry to millions who might feel like life has passed them by.
She says: “I think when you get to a certain age you start to lose confidence in yourself. It’s very different being in your 20s to being in your 50s.
“You’ve got to find things that make you happy again. I want to inspire women of my age who are going through the menopause, or perhaps been through it, which is tough.
“You hear so many negative stories about going through the menopause and coming out the other end, I just want to make it into a positive experience.
“I just want to say to older women, ‘Let’s not give up, let’s be amazing in our 50s’.”
Sally has three children – Bridgerton star Phoebe 26, Sam, 24, and Hattie, 18 – with husband of 27 years Tim.
She says: “Women can feel invisible when they reach their 50s, but absolutely I’m out to show we’re not.
“Children grow up, leave home and you suddenly have to ask yourself what your purpose is. I have spent the last 30 years running around for children, now Hattie’s 18, you kind of think, ‘Where am I? Who am I? What am I doing now?’
“It’s great to get excited about a new adventure, doing new things and looking forward to things that are going to happen in the future.
“The only way to do that is to dive into something that’s completely out of your comfort zone.”
And that’s exactly what Sally did last weekend when she found herself in the skate-off for the first time.
Thankfully, the judges saved her, sending Happy Mondays star Bez, 57, home instead.
Sally and Matt realise they must raise their game in tomorrow's show as the remaining celebs tackle the show’s infamous “prop week”.
Sally and Matt have included a salon chair in their routine, dancing to soul song You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real). And her Corrie co-star Antony Cotton – a former competitor on DoI – will be joining them on the ice in a special performance tomorrow.
You’d think that being in the skateoff might have added to Sally’s nerves, but she admits she’s relaxed – despite literally skating on thin ice.
She says: “For me, I’m not competing. I’m never going to be the best, I’m just going to try my best. That’s the reason I’m doing it. I’m certainly not very competitive. I never have been so I’m just doing it for fun.
“When I come out of the show that will be amazing, I’ll be really happy I have done it for as long as I have.”
Sally credits the support of friends, Coronation Street bosses and her soap co-stars for helping her get so far.
She is on a two-day week to allow time for training and has had advice from Antony and Corrie colleagues Samia Longchambon and Jane Danson, who have also taken part on DoI. And Brooke Vincent, who played Sally’s TV daughter Sophie, competed four years ago.
All the backing means a lot to Sally. Holding back tears, she adds: “I’ll start crying if I talk about the support from the cast because they’ve just been amazing.
“We’ve got a Dancing On Ice WhatsApp group that I put together because I wanted any tips they could give me.
“The support is just wonderful and I love the fact that Corrie are so supportive over Dancing On Ice. It means everything. It gets you through, knowing your colleagues are all excited for you and happy for you once you’ve done it.
“We’ve grown up together, the make-up girls had children when I did, we are a family. I love my job. I feel really lucky whenever I pick up a script.
“Whenever I’ve got a storyline I’m super excited to be playing it – there’s always something in the script I can’t wait to do, even after all these years. ignited
“It’s a very privileged position to be working, so to get scenes you can’t wait to do is just a joy.”
It’s clear Sally has no plans to leave the cobbles any time soon. But has DoI given her the bug to tackle other adventures – especially with her fundraising efforts after beating breast cancer?
“It definitely has ignited something in me being on this show,” she says.
“It’s made me realise that actually I’m going to give everything a go because it’s okay if you fail, I’ve tried.
“That’s all you can do. I’ve been to Everest base camp with Prevent Breast Cancer, I did London to Paris on a bike with them too, which were two wonderful experiences. I would like to do something with Prevent again.
"Maybe next year I’ll do a challenge with them, but I have said I’d like to do something warm because I’m fed up with being freezing! I’ve said, ‘What about a walk through the Sahara Desert?’ I said to the girls at work the other day that if I can do Dancing On Ice, I can honestly do anything because this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done.
“If I can go on a live TV, not able to skate and pull it off for 90 seconds, then I can do anything. I’m up for the challenge!”
