On the iconic Coronation Street, Eileen Grimshaw is famed for her no-nonsense attitude and readiness to confront anyone who dares to cross her path. From fiery altercations with Gail Platt to laying down the law at the Rovers Return, Eileen is a force to be reckoned with. Yet, as Sue Cleaver gears up for her much-anticipated return to the cobbles following a stint on the West End stage, she's sharing a more vulnerable side of herself.
The actress has disclosed her past struggles with anxiety and how it once left her petrified of interacting with her admirers. Sue has candidly revealed her inner turmoil, saying: "For quite a few years, if somebody came up to me in the street, the inside of my stomach muscles would tense up and I'd be thinking: 'Oh God, don't come over. Don't come over.
Don't come over,'" She admits that being approached by fans filled her with dread, leaving her feeling helpless and scared. "It absolutely terrified me when people did. I'd be thinking: 'I've got nothing to offer you.
I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do.' It was fear, pure and simple.
I don't think I handled it well at all. My confident exterior was paper-thin." Delving deeper into her past, Sue shares how her teenage years were marred by self-doubt and vulnerability, which led to her being exploited by older boyfriends .
She recounts significant moments from her youth, including losing her virginity to an older boy, running away with a sailor to live in a bedsit at 16, and becomin.