Coronation Street’s Catherine Tyldesley has broken her silence on the ITV soap possibly recasting Michelle Collins as her onscreen mum Stella Price.
Michelle, 63, played the role of the Rovers landlady from 2011-2014 before dramatically returning from the dead as Cindy Beale on rival soap EastEnders in 2023.
Catherine, 42, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail following her own return to the cobbles as Eva Price after eight years.
Asked if bosses would consider a recast, she said: ‘You can’t! Can you? That woman, there is not many people have [appeared in two soaps] she’s super iconic’.
Before refusing to rule out a new actor taking over the role, which she said had happened many times on the show.
Catherine then went on to gush over Sue Johnston, 81, who played her grandmother Gloria until 2014, who she revealed had already showed interest in returning.
Coronation Street ‘s Catherine Tyldesley has broken her silence on the ITV soap possibly recasting Michelle Collins as her onscreen mum Stella Price.
Michelle (L) played the role of the Rovers landlady from 2011-2014 before dramatically returning from the dead in 2023 as Cindy Beale on rival soap EastEnders (pictured 2013)
‘I did a film with her last year and I asked her would she ever go back and she said: “Oh my darling, if you did of course I would” so I might just give her a call and hold her to that’.
She went on: ‘She’s so iconic, she is so incredible, I admired her for so many years before she came in to play my gran, I was so in awe of her the first day I met her’.
Elsewhere in the interview Catherine revealed bosses show bosses were working hard to return the show to its ‘golden age’ with ‘old school storylines’ following plummeting ratings.
She recently returned to the ITV soap amid rumours of troubles behind the scenes due to an cash crisis and revolt from the cast over poor working conditions and low salaries.
Catherine explained how despite the changing TV landscape, viewers had been crying out for the soap, which first aired in 1960, to return to ‘character led storylines’ with strong female characters.
‘What Kate Brooks our wonderful producer has done is bring back an old school Corrie feeling. She is super passionate about that and she is a big Corrie fan and that was one of the reasons I agreed to come back, was because of her vision for the show and where she wanted to take it’.
She continued: ‘Finding those character led storylines, with strong women at the forefront is something Corrie has always done so well and that the audience seem to crave, and I think Kate is feeding that’.
Catherine reminisced over past iconic Rovers landlady like Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear) and Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn) just as her character takes the reigns.
Asked if bosses would consider a recast, she said: ‘You can’t! Can you? That woman, there is not many people have [appeared in two soaps]’ (Michelle pictured on EastEnders)
Michelle made a very dramatic return to EastEnders (pictured) after almost 25-years
Catherine then went on to gush over Sue Johnston, 81, who played her grandmother Gloria who she revealed had already showed interest in returning (pictured in the show 2012)
‘It’s important to move with the times but also know who your target audience is, everyone kept saying they want want that “old school Corrie vibe, we want it to be character led” and I feel the show is nailing that’.
Earlier this year The Sun reported that a January episode was watched by 2.5 million people – just ten percent of the 27million who watched Hilda Ogden’s farewell in its 1987 heyday.
The episode was moved from its usual Friday slot and time so the network could show the FA Cup clash between Aston Villa and West Ham.
As a result, Coronation Street was pitted against BBC’s reality game show The Traitors which pulled in five million viewers.
The show’s low ratings meant it lost its most-watched soap crown to Emmerdale with 3.5 million, while BBC’s EastEnders pulled in 2.8 million viewers.
This also means The Street fell out of the top ten most watched shows of the day – which last happened on Christmas Day, which saw Helen Worth’s goodbye after starring as Gail Platt for 50 years.
Catherine spoke to Daily Mail on behalf of the Connected Bedtime Story campaign by O2, as the mum of 10-year-old Alfie James and three-year-old Iris puts the first-of-its-kind 5G enabled book to the test as she adapts to a busy filming schedule
Since November, Charlotte Jordan, Sue Cleaver, Sue Devaney, Colson Smith, and Luca Toolan, Paddy Bever and Shelley King — have announced they will be leaving the show or are being written out.
Other actors have reportedly vented their fury on a WhatsApp group over fears they could be next.
A source told The Sun at the time: ‘Coronation Street used to be the jewel in ITV’s crown. Now there’s a despondency among actors.’
A spokesperson for the show hit back: ‘Thursday night at 9pm is not our usual transmission pattern. It also does not take into account ITVX viewers.’
Catherine spoke to Daily Mail on behalf of the Connected Bedtime Story campaign by O2 as the mum of 10-year-old Alfie James and three-year-old Iris adapted to a busy filming schedule with her return to Coronation Street.
The unique, first-of-its-kind book transforms a traditional children’s story into a shared, interactive experience, using 5G connectivity to put the parent directly into the book.
The Connected Bedtime Story is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that blends traditional storytelling with O2’s cutting-edge 5G technology, creating a first-of-its-kind interactive experience that allows parents and children to share a special moment of connection when apart.
The story was created exclusively for O2’s book, Look Up Little Bear: I’m Here Too, authored by parenting book author and a psychotherapy counsellor Tanith Carey, and with original illustrations by Laura Page. The book follows Little Bear and Big Bear, capturing the special bond between parent and child, with stars and the moon serving as symbols of love and connection.
When opened, the child will see the heartwarming illustrations on the printed pages, and their parent’s face live within the book via a hidden paper-like screen integrated seamlessly into the story. This is enabled by a two-way camera incorporated into the pages that lets the parent and child to see and hear each other, allowing them to read and react together as if they were side by side.
Catherine said ‘As a mum who often travels for work, it can be heartbreaking to miss bedtime reading with my children. With my work schedule ramping up again, it’s impossible for me to make it home for every bedtime. Whilst nothing can replicate the beauty of being snuggled up in bed reading with your little one, seeing technology used in this way to make that special moment of connection still possible is just amazing.
