‘Corrie used me for lads’ mags shoots’
SURANNE Jones has claimed she was used by Coronation Street for lads’ mag shoots.
Middleton-born Suranne, who played Karen McDonald in Corrie, says she stripped for bikini and underwear shoots while starting out on the show.
The 41-year-old actress was just 21 when she joined the cast in 2000.
Speaking with personal trainer and author Alice Liveing on the podcast Give Me Strength, the BAFTA winning Doctor Foster star said she was initially given a three month contract on the soap and was a ‘very normal girl from a working class background.’
Reflecting on her first few months on the show she recalled: “At the time it was ‘lads’ maggy’ - Loaded and Maxim.
“You know, those very 90s, bikini shot type things.”
She told Alice that she felt uncomfortable with lads’ mag shoots and wanted to stop after her storylines as machinist Karen Phillips who married Steve McDonald became more ‘interesting.’
“It was fun at first and then I thought ‘oh I don’t really ... this isn’t really what I signed up to,” she explained.
“Then my storylines became heavier and Karen became much more interesting and I wanted to stop doing those lads mag things.
“Believe me there’s some dodgy photos out there.”
Alice asked her: “Were you fed the narrative this is really going to help your career if you get into a bikini?”
Suranne replied: “If I’m being honest, yeah.”
She added: “I don’t think Coronation Street was alone in that, I think all of the soaps used their girls in that way.
“There was a sexiest female award, all that kind of stuff, at the soap awards.
“Those seeds were planted in my head really early on actually until I became aware that I was winning acting awards.
“I was being used a lot and my character was becoming popular and then actually the pull of that and the creativity became much more.”
The Observer has contacted Coronation Street for comment.