It's a dream come true to Return as the landlady

Catherine Tyldesley on being back on the Street

- BY CHARLOTTE TUTTON Soaps Editor

IN THE PUB Eva, third from right, and new family

After turning down the chance before, actress Catherine Tyldesley says now is the right time to make her Rovers Return.

The actress, 42, is reprising her role as Eva Price in Coronation Street and is excited that the character will be the new pub landlady.

Catherine, who played Eva in the ITV soap from 2011 to 2018, was approached to make a comeback by Corrie supremo Kate Brooks.

She says: "I really meant what I said when I left, that I would love to come back, cos Eva is so much fun to play. And it felt really serendipitous I suppose.

"I was in Malta, filming, and my agent said, 'Kate would like to speak to you about Corrie' and I assumed it was someone's funeral.

"I thought, 'somebody's dying, they want me to rock up. I remember my agent said, 'I don't really know what to expect, let's just keep a poker face, let's hear her out, let's see what happens.' We were on a Zoom and Kate said 'Would you like to be landlady?' and I went 'aaagh!! My agent was like, 'nice one'.

"I was just really shocked, really shocked. It's an absolute dream.

"I remember watching the show as a kid, thinking, 'God, I would kill to be landlady one day, how cool would that be?