Molly Winnard
“Kayla certainly has a hidden agenda”
Then I just started crying!” admits new Corrie star Mollie Winnard, about the exciting moment when she discovered that she’d scooped the role of rookie Speed Daal waitress Kayla. “It was a really big cry-fest – but they were good tears!”
While it’s no wonder Mollie was overwhelmed when she found out she was about to join the cast of one of Britain’s biggest shows, it’s not yet known whether Kayla’s new friends and neighbours on the cobbles will be so thrilled by her presence – as she continues to integrate herself into people’s lives.
But Mollie admits that her mysterious alter ego may start to reveal her true colours, when she heads out on a date with unsuspecting Craig this week…
“Kayla has a hidden agenda,” teases the 21-year-old, as we grill her for more details about her character. “During the date, it becomes apparent that she’s more interested in Bethany than Craig. Craig is nervous and out of his comfort zone, and the way Kayla interrogates him puts him on edge. Kayla gets the hump about it, when in fact the date has gone exactly the way she wanted it – she has it bang on!”
Sneaky Kayla has given every impression that she’s smitten with Craig, after she laid eyes on him while he and Bethany were enjoying dinner in Speed Daal a few weeks back. In spite of her own romantic feelings for Craig, Bethany has earned her wing-woman stripes by finally getting the pair together – but are she and Craig set to rue the day they got involved with Kayla?
“Kayla plans on getting close to Craig and Bethany,” reveals Mollie, who has also appeared in the BBC drama series Love,
Lies And Records. “She wants to learn more about the relationship they share because she knows there’s more to it than meets the eye, and the only way for her to do that is to be closer to Craig. By driving a wedge between him and Bethany, Kayla can then get the information she needs.”
Why Kayla is so keen on coming between the teenagers remains to be seen, but recent rumours suggest the young girl has a connection to Neil Clifton – Craig’s former police boss, who is currently serving a prison sentence alongside fellow abuser Nathan Curtis for the sexual exploitation of Bethany. Mollie can’t say if those rumours are true – but does admit she’s had to be adept at keeping Corrie secrets from day one.
“I was at work when I found out about this job, and it was just me and another lad in the office at the time,” shares the star. “So there I was crying, and he kept saying, ‘What’s wrong?’, but I was like, ‘Nothing, nothing – I can’t tell you what’s going on’! I had to go outside and ring my mum, and then she was in tears too.”
While Kayla sets out to cause trouble for Bethany and Craig, Mollie is happy to tell us that she’s been having a whale of a time working alongside Lucy Fallon and Colson Smith, who play them.
“It’s so lovely,” she grins. “When I got the part, Lucy messaged to congratulate me, which I thought was really nice – because straight away, it made me feel much more relaxed about going to work at Coronation Street. Everyone on the show has been so nice and welcoming – and Colson is hilarious!”
The way that Kayla grills Craig puts him on edge – he’s nervous