Corrie has changed my life... it has been home
After seven years playing barmaid Eva Price, Catherine Tyldesley is leaving the soap. Here, she talks to GEORGIA HUMPHREYS about what’s next and the impact of the recent storylines on suicide
IT’S been a tearful time for Catherine Tyldesley lately.
Her character on Coronation Street, Eva Price, has faced a heart-breaking few months after her ex-boyfriend, Aidan Connor (played by Shayne Ward) took his own life.
And then there’s the fact the Manchester-born actress, 34, is bidding farewell to the cobbles, with her emotional final scenes due to air next week.
“There’s zero point in me wearing mascara or fake tan at my leaving do, I’ll be a streaky mess,” admits the chirpy mum-of-one, who joined the ITV soap in 2011. “I’m gonna cry a lot.”
She adds matter-of-factly: “Corrie has completely changed my life. I can’t say I’ve grown up on the show, but in a way I have – I met my husband while filming here and had my baby.
“I feel I’ve gone through so much personally alongside the show. It has been home.”
In true soap fashion, we can expect Eva’s exit scenes, which take place at the inquest into Aidan’s death, to be an intense watch.
We see her turn up to give evidence at the last minute, with her daughter Susie (who she had with Aidan) in tow, just as Aidan’s dad, Johnny, is beginning to give up hope he will be able to see his granddaughter one more time.
“It brings unity and peace for good with the Connors, in as much she says to them: ‘I want Susie to know who her father was, and her family, so you must come and visit me’,” suggests Catherine, who’s also starred in BBC drama Lilies. “That’s really nice.”
With lots of emotional scenes involving her character recently, the response from fans has been huge – particularly following Aidan’s suicide storyline, with Catherine revealing she and Shayne have been inundated with messages.
“Obviously we’re actors so we refer them to people that can help,” she elaborates. “Some of them have been utterly heartbreaking. People right on the edge: ‘I tried it last week’ type of thing – and ‘This storyline has helped me and I’m going speak to somebody.’
“It’s been mind-blowing, but fantastic. Not only have these storylines helped hundreds of people but they’ve saved lives. I think that’s phenomenal.”
It’s also made her think more about the mental health of people around her.
“By the time you get to my age, generally people are all affected by suicide in some way,” she notes.
“We lost a work colleague not long ago. It was a very similar situation [as Aidan’s] – there were no signs. Often I think that’s the case. He seemed so happy.”
The friendly star continues softly: “It does make you more aware. Sometimes if you’re being impatient or trying to get on with your day, you don’t always engage in conversation with people properly.”
The toll that acting out emotional scenes takes on the body is notable (another recent storyline saw Eva’s baby Susie kidnapped which was difficult for Catherine to film).
“It is tiring, because obviously you have to go there to make it believable,” she admits.
Not only have these storylines helped hundreds of people but they’ve saved lives. I think that’s phenomenal...
“Your nervous system doesn’t understand you’re only pretending [to cry]. You’ve got to look after yourself and laugh as much as you can in between. Shayne [Ward] was always good for that.”
But she’s loved the material she’s been given to work with lately.
And, with her character having recently become a mum, she’s also loved working with the babies who play her daughter, admitting it’s made her broody.
“They’re gorgeous – they’re twins,” gushes the star, who married fitness expert Tom Pitfield in 2016. “They’re so chilled and very easy to work with.”
She adds with a giggle: “Tom is like: ‘Stop holding babies!”’
Having more kids (son Alfie was born in March 2015) isn’t on the cards for the couple anytime soon. What Catherine is planning postCorrie is some travelling as a family, with a few countries on the to-do-list.
“The big one is Australia, hopefully next year,” she says. “I’ve got a lot of family over there that haven’t met Alfie yet.”
She would be up for going to LA for work, and lists people she dreams of working with, including Dame Julie Walters and Kate Winslet.
“I’d love to do Peaky Blinders – I’m obsessed,” she adds, smiling excitedly.
“I adore comedy, and would love to do more of it in the future. But Kate Oates [former Coronation Street producer] has massively fuelled my desire to do some gritty stuff.”
Admitting “you never know what the future holds”, she wouldn’t rule out a return to Corrie – a show she had dreamed of starring in since she was a kid – in the future. But, if there’s one part about playing barmaid Eva that Catherine definitely won’t miss, it’s her, erm, interesting style choices.
“I’m looking forward to saving money on fake tan and nails and remembering what my skin tone looks like. I said to Tom, ‘I’m going to be a right minger now. “It’s all coming off!”’