EASTBLENDERS Tell us what you think:
Young soap stars all look the same now, says Michelle
EMMERDALE Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker)
EASTENDERS Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper)
EASTENDERS Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton)
EASTENDERS Iqra Ahmed (Priya Davdra)
CORRIE Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon)
HOLLYOAKS Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson)
FORMER EastEnders star Michelle Collins has complained young soap stars now all look the same.
The 59-year-old played Cindy Beale, the ex-wife of Ian Beale, on Albert Square from 1988 to 1998, then Stella Price on Coronation Street from 2011 to 2014.
She said: “There is a sort of uniform look among a lot of young people in a lot of soaps. We are lacking in individual looks in a way. That’s the time we are living in. When I was growing up, I was
a punk and there was a big music scene and there were a lot of different cultures.
“All the girls now look the same. I am not saying this in a derogatory way but soap stars all look very similar.”
Michelle said of playing Cindy: “I used to have my roots showing as I was working all the time and couldn’t get to the hairdressers... people used to write in. They could also be really cruel.
“There was an actor who didn’t have very nice skin and people used to
UNIQUE
ROOTS Michelle as Cindy
EMMERDALE Priya Sharma (Fiona Wade)
send in skin care [products] and write horrible comments.”
Talking to Scott McGlynn on Celebrity Skin Talk, she said that whereas trolls now dish out abuse on social media, they used to use low-tech methods. “In those days we had pigeon holes and people used to send things to us. There might be a parcel or a couple of envelopes. “Now I get the odd sort of things on Twitter... I wouldn’t say really bad. I have learned to block.” Like many actors, Michelle has had
EMMERDALE Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham)
CORRIE Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent)
HOLLYOAKS Cher Winters (Bethannie Hare)
work cancelled because of the Covid-19 and she is working with the Equity Benevolent Fund to support entertainers whose incomes have plummeted.
She said earlier this month: “We’ve been slightly forgotten and I don’t know why. It’s a misconception that all actors are rich, driving around in flashy cars just because they’re on the telly. “They’re not, it’s a really tough time.”
tom.bryant@mirror.co.uk yourvoice@mirror.co.uk