Michelle Keegan says it was ‘risky’ leaving Coronation Street and had backup career plan
Michelle Keegan has been thinking back on her departure from Coronation Street and pondering how risky it was to quit the ITV serial.
The 35-year-old actress, who had played Tina McIntyre on the ITV soap opera since 2008, quit her job in 2014 rather than risk the stability of a steady paycheck.
Fortunately for Michelle, the gamble paid off, and she went on to become one of the country’s favorite TV stars, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t ever worry that she wouldn’t act again.
When leaving Weatherfield’s cobblestone streets, the Stockport-born actress says she had to accept the possibility that she would never work in television again. She also discusses the alternative career she might have chosen had things not worked out.
In recent years, Michelle, who is married to Mark Wright, a former cast member of The Only Way Is Essex, has garnered accolades for her appearances on shows including Our Girl, the Sky comedy Brassic, and the ITV drama Tina and Bobby.
After leaving Coronation Street in 2014, the 35-year-old will never return to her soap opera roots since Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis), who played her on-screen character Tina, killed her off.
Michelle remembers her reasoning for leaving Corrie: “I always told myself, ‘If I don’t get a job after this, at least I’ve had a nice run’: not many people can claim they’ve had this career for six and a half years.
“Leaving was always a risk, but it was the right move for me at the time, so I wouldn’t have changed my mind. My happy spot is around dogs, so if it hadn’t worked out, I would have done something related to them.
Michelle recalled how terrifying it was to resume the audition process after recording her final scenes as Tina in an interview with the Media.
“It was frightening. I went to that audition believing it would be just for experience; I never in a million years imagined I’d get Corrie, she says.
“Then, after seven years, it was terrifying to return to the big wide world once more. Soap is quite secure.
It’s difficult to conceive a scenario in which Michelle isn’t a great celebrity in the British television industry, with even her husband Mark gushing over the accomplished actress.
The reality TV personality exclaimed, “I’m incredibly proud,” in 2021. I feel incredibly fortunate. That’s all I have to say. Despite the fact that I cannot sing to save my life, I am not conceited or self-assured about any talent. My wife, who is a natural actor and is very good at what she does, can act, but I can’t. I am unable to carry out that action.
“It took me a very, very long time to learn how to present TV and radio. I did have some football talent, but not enough to make it all the way. I’ll always be the man who works the hardest in the room, and that is the one thing about which I will be conceited and confident.
As an initial cast member of The Only Way is Essex, Mark first gained notoriety. Since then, he has established himself as a prominent presenter and radio broadcaster.
