Michelle Keegan has revealed that Helen Worth shared some invaluable advice with her at the start of her career, which has stayed with her to this day. The actress, 37, branded her old co-star "a legend" as she recalled how Helen's words of wisdom on the Coronation Street set years ago stopped her panicking about an intense upcoming scene and "took a weight off her shoulders". In 2007, in only her second-ever acting audition, Michelle landed the role of Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street.
During her six-year stint on the ITV soap, the Fool Me Once star's character dated David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), Helen's character Gail's on-screen son. During an interview on stage in Manchester last week, Michelle was asked if there was anyone in particular she supported as a young actress.
"Everyone, but there's a story I always tell about Helen Worth, who plays Gail Platt—she's a legend, by the way," Michelle began in her reply. She continued: "She's so lovely. [The advice came] before my first ever emotional storyline on the soap.
It was quite a heavy, heavy, heavy storyline, and the script said that I had to cry. I was new to acting, especially TV acting - Corrie was my first ever job - and I remember getting the script, and halfway through the script, it said Tina began to cry. "I remember my anxiety in that moment - I built it up so much.
I was like 'I can't do this. I can't cry. I'm a crap actor.
I shouldn't be doing this job' It built up so much in my head before Helen pulled m.