Michelle Collins has admitted she was upset by the criticism she received for her role in Coronation Street.
The actress might be best known for playing Cindy Beale in EastEnders, but before returning to the BBC soap in 2023, she appeared as Rovers Return landlady Stella Price in Corrie from 2011 to 2014.
Stella was introduced along with her boyfriend Karl Munro (John Michie) and her daughter Eva (Catherine Tyldesley), before her mum Gloria (Sue Johnston) came along the following year.
While Michelle was a high-profile casting for the show, having shot to fame after originally playing EastEnders’ Cindy from 1988 to 1998, she came in for some flack over her accent.
Speaking to Lisa Snowdon and Andy Goldstein on the We’re Not Getting Any Younger podcast, Michelle discussed how the criticism felt.
Michelle said: ‘I was the landlady of the Rovers and I think people were like “firstly, we can’t have a Londoner running the Rovers’, so they made me northern”.
‘Which I think people were like “that’s odd, that’s strange, Michelle Collins is from London and now she’s got a northern accent and wasn’t she Cindy in EastEnders”.
‘They kind of couldn’t really get their head around it and I went to a dialect coach and everything, but yeah, people were very critical in the beginning, which kind of upset me a bit, but do you know what? It just takes time.’
During her time in Weatherfield, Stella was revealed to be the biological mother of Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), having had a relationship with her dad Les Battersby (Bruce Jones).
She also memorably had an relationship with Jason Grimsahw (Ryan Thomas), before her ex Karl set fire to the Rovers, killing Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati).
Stella was last seen leaving the cobbles for New York in 2014.
While Michelle is now a full-time cast member on EastEnders again, it was recently revealed that her former on-screen daughter Catherine Tyldesley will be returning to Coronation Street as Eva.
While Catherine is yet to speak out on reprising her role, Corrie fans reckon they have already worked out her return storyline.
We’re Not Getting Any Younger is available on podcast platforms. Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 or stream first from 7am on ITVX.
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