Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine

IT’S COOL BEING A CON MAN

Corrie’s Ian Kelsey on why he can’t wait to start relieving Weatherfie­ld’s finest of their savings

- Tom Latchem

He’s already a soap legend, but Ian Kelsey is especially thrilled to finally be in Coronation Street – because it would have made his mum so proud. Ian, who’s best known for playing dishy Dave Glover in Emmerdale in the 1990s, explains, ‘My mum, who’s no longer with us, was a massive Coronation Street fan – probably the biggest. Even if I was doing Hamlet in the West End she’d say, “When are you gonna get a part on Corrie?”’

So when Ian arrived in Weatherfie­ld earlier this month as dodgy property developer Vinny Ashford, he knew how much it would have meant to her. ‘My first scene, in the Rovers, was such a big moment. Mum would have been chuffed to bits.’

But while his mother Julie would have been delighted, Ian jokes he’s ruined the show for his brother David. ‘To him, every other Corrie actor is their character, but when I come on he’ll say, “That’s our kid”. So I’ve spoiled it for him. I had to apologise for getting a good job!’

Ian spent two years playing Dave Glover from 1994. His character’s racy affair with Kim Tate, played by Claire King – who’s also now in Corrie, as Erica Holroyd – had millions hooked. The pair romped in stables and in the office, all behind the back of Kim’s husband Frank. ‘That was great fun,’ says Ian, 49. ‘I wasn’t long out of acting school. It was brilliant.’

Since leaving Emmerdale, Ian’s credits have included Casualty, playing doctor Patrick Spiller, and Doctors, as practice manager Howard Bellamy. Now he’s set to make his mark on millions more soap fans as villainous Vinny. The property developer and devious builder friend Pat Phelan are cooking up a plan to con Weatherfie­ld residents out of their savings. Among those set to lose a fortune is Eileen, Phelan’s partner.

‘Vinny’s got his eye on a couple of hundred grand, coming from some main characters investing in flats,’ Ian explains. ‘Of course, the pair have no intention of building the properties. Vinny’s selfish – he’ll charm someone, then double cross them as soon as they’ve turned their back.

‘The plot gets twisted when he realises people are going to get in the way of him making money, and it emerges Vinny has a darker reason for needing his plan to work.’

Ian says he’s relishing playing a crook. ‘It’s good fun, something to get my teeth into, though it won’t make me popular. I’d forgotten the power of a show like this, and now you get flak on social media as well as in the street. I’ll have to buy a baseball cap to walk through Manchester!’

Ian believes Vinny’s criminalit­y may mean his stay in Corrie is quite short-lived. ‘With a character like Vinny, there’s a shelf-life because he can’t con Weatherfie­ld’s finest without payback.’ But if that’s true, Ian, who lives in Brighton and is father to daughters Layla, ten, and Ivy, six, is certainly going to make the most of it. ‘Coronation Street is a career highlight,’ he says. ‘I couldn’t be happier to be here, however long it lasts.’

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