d -?. l",i ,r gr: *. 1. Michelle Cotlins is as iime, or the inclinat hen Michelle Collins €r"loded back on ou scrcens in Coro"dfton St/€et' last vear as lhe latest Ror€rs Retum publican, Stela Pdce,Iou could hear the cdtics sharp€ning iheir knives aU the \.ay Fom $reatherfield to London (Michele's bi lve€liy con1mute, incidentally). .$?ird', snifed o!€, on the d€cision to cast Michelle. &nile another lanbasted her northern acceni as "a*ftIl Bri these snide comrnents are jut a tiny bljp in a career ihat, unusua.lly, includes the nationl t$o best-knosn soaps: Filst, Mich€lie plalrd tarttnd"ru' rilainous Cindv Beale for ten years, leaf ing ihe programme in 1998. Then, in JDe 2orl shejoined Co?r*, wh€r€ she receltly had her contract erlended untii 2013. ln-betrveen those tllo l.tndmdk parts, she rer€ived .ar€ rcvielrs for her nl.o \.ear stint as Abb] lvala.e in lao 1 2, ftlr,qoadit kt 6w..d. rk,. r. a.. 1 e.: klr Wom an's W eekly Celebr ity .RAISING THE BAR. Neuer See Me " I) unning a pub ir about b€ing an lleverywoman to everybody, even a bit of an agony aung'say5 Mkhelle, , who as Stella Pric!, now pi€sider ovar the Rovers netum in Corl€, H€rel a r.nindei of sme ol the chaE<ters who went b€fore her.,. Annie lllalker wn to earth as a TV star could posibty be. She hasn't the (Doris Speed) n, io be anything else, as she te[[s Ceiri O'Douglas landlady ofthe Rovss Retuln, wfio,acordingto s&y, a popdar dmna seri€j lik€ it therc ar aU. so that a realy popolax cham.ter, the i.riptwrite6, took on th€ licene in which she played a sinsl€ setded it. I'm not going even though sh€ sas a with her husband, Ja<lq in r 937 {even mum who has decarnped to anl vhere pernanently vilaini people love having thouqh the serieJ f13t epkod€ didn't a remot€ Smttish islmd to rvhere she doesntwmtto someon€ t hate, dontihey? .ir unfl r 960). Whcn Ja(k died, in 1970, e$?pe imeFcitt life. So itk go. And when we got ba.h it Somctim6 I get r bit l€d Anni€- continucd on h€r own for th€ puiting it Inildly to say ttr3r made me realise hos luclv upblking about-Aadtndoa. next 13 yeaE, ahhough she ask€d her work has kept her bn-qy but we are in this country So It was 15 ]'ea$ €o. I' never ion. Billy, for hi5 help. BilV hircd,,. Michelie makes no bor6 that got it out of my system. moan about ig though, I v3s about her most importad role: I'n d actor. not a in it lor a long time and the Bet tynch as l5-year-old clebrif. You s on't ever shos was realy good to me mt]m to h€r (lulie Goodyear) daughter, Maia we caught see ne on a realitr lY - but it is flice to talk about up with Michele on the sho$' I dont watch much something else occasionalll Corotwti,tn Street sel. tely m)seE as that wo|]d Stepping behind the landl.dy in 1985. bd at the Rovers $'asn't Annie thought she 'I haue to leaue nty home intimidating, just excirin g. was a "tait'i but But itt hard vork - you raking! w€r€ up, !o she riay€d, B€l und m,p1 daughterfor zaork, haE to get in there and pEsid€d ovrr the Rov€rs tor a de@de mak€ it look like you owr the Hore .bs{onding to Spaln with a load ulvich is really hard' pair fom th€ outset Even ol fr$ui€ hu$band Al€< Gllro/s money, ifyou r€ not that confideni making way for.,. I'm a single par€ni, he r.o mnc}! lile a bosmant abont it, you've got to look Ven Duckworth dd rhat can be tough. I'rn holiday I prefer going to the as though )ou are. trdve[ing up and do r fiom cinen1a I don t like uatching You rvouldnt get a (Elizabeth Down) landon to Manclester aI mJse]fon television! I dont dHracterlike Cindno .ing vera and hurband, the time, so I oryanise ny get the app€al ofthat, I find al the Rovers. You've got daughter's life on the phone: that very strange- to be nicer to people in 1995, bur made Ale( where shet going, what shet I eas s'o*ing up North, weatherfiel4 or itrey wDnl going to eat. We sp€ah five or playing Frcd Dil,nal's rife, later uhcn thcy got sheila, in a pla], doing a Elertone who No*s lnro lmuble wiih th€ day. Shet big, rhick Bolton accent, on CoTonntitn Street ts prAaring to wh€n I got the call otr€ring passionate about it dd let them stay on as staff and remain do her GCSES me the pari ofstela tuId cares a lot about n hat living in th€ pub until the alfival ot .. then I got slagged otr on the tbeJ.re doing. Ifl didn't carc intemet for my Norihem about itb€ingb.i iant, then liz McDonald r her, natualy. acc€nt. There! no such thiry I wouldn'i do it. ffit$'asjust (Barerley Callord) as a g€neric Northem accent, about money, I wouldr't Liz finally bought sood s"1, anlq'ayl I thinh p€ople are do i! €ither, because I'n th€ Rovers in 2(x)6, she I be fine. just a bit me.an, to be honest commuting away from with you. Butyon jLd have my home ard leaving my after working therg on and ofi, ,or years. she left ln 2ol 1, to tate it in your sltr ide. daught€r, whictr is hard. the Hol]*ood l'm antazed at ho* I love lta\ing good after-r---! her hurban4 Jim, wat inprisoned for armed robbery. Weatherfield l,on thing some iconicCindy:cha cter stor-i'lines and being in the yet publi(an has bcome and thai people thic.k ofii, so r a..eptthat another to Spain, whi.h sril r€member her, but I theret no socialising for m€ opened up a vaaanry for...stella Price, pl.yed by Michelle think tlat's becuse it sas for a while. ?erhaps tldtt Collins. But Maia did* billiantly She was whyl'm single... 'itt€n. .