Michelle Keegan has said she thinks there will always be prejudice against soap stars in the acting industry.
The former Coronation Street star, 37, played Tina McIntyre in the much-loved soap from 2008 to 2014. She later earned roles in the BBC military drama Our Girl and the Sky Max comedy Brassic.
Keegan, who is expecting her first child with the TOWIE star Mark Wright, claimed there are misconceptions that come with starring in a soap, an undertaking she compared to military boot camp.
Speaking to Grazia, Keegan said: “There will always be snobbery, but soap actors work so fast, with different directors and pages of scripts to learn.
“I may not have gone to drama school but Coronation Street was my training ground,” she added.
Keegan – whose father was a police officer and mother was a school dinner lady – had no contacts in the world of acting and described her upbringing as “very normal, working class”.
“I had no connection with this industry whatsoever,” the Fool Me Once star explained. “I’d never even met an actor before I was on Coronation Street.”
Acting was never seen as a pragmatic career path by Keegan’s parents. “My dad took me for a drive during which he said, “Right. What do you want to do with your life?’” she recalled. “He suggested uni or joining the navy.
“When I said I wanted to be an actor, he was like, ‘Michelle, come on. You need to get your head out of the clouds,’” Keegan said. “Six months later, I got Corrie.”
It comes shortly after current Coronation Street stars were forced to speak out last month after a slew of back-to-back departures sparked claims the show was struggling financially.
The series, which first aired in 1960, has seen big changes in recent weeks following the departure of Gail Platt actor Helen Worth and Luca Toolan, whose character Mason Radcliffe was killed off earlier this month.
Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster) and Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw) are also set to leave the soap in 2025. Colson Smith, who plays PC Craig Tinker, revealed earlier this week he had been dropped by bosses.
Veteran Corrie star Andy Whyment, who plays the endearing Kirk Sutherland, hit back at claims that the show was in trouble.
“I’d just like to say that the show is not on its knees and there is most certainly not a cast revolt as one article has said,” he claimed.
He continued: “Please don’t believe everything you read, I for at least one cast member am extremely happy and feel very grateful to still be working on Coronation Street.”