Leaving my little girl to go back to work made me cry but I love playing Rosie again
was fine once I was out the door. I think everybody does that.” Helen also has to juggle learning scripts with her role as mum. She says: “The storylines here can be really full on, but then you could have two or three weeks off.
“It’s finding the balance. When I was here before I would learn my scripts for the day after as soon as I finished work.
“Now, there is no time for that. You’ve been working all day and you just want to play with your little girl.
“I’ve been learning them here on set, and a lot of the mums learn their scenes here and leave work at work.”
Officially, Helen is due to be back in the show for just a few months, but she says she would like to stay longer. The actress also likes the idea of Rosie having a baby in the soap to mirror her own life changes.
Helen looks relaxed as she chats in the Rovers Return and much calmer than when she faced the media during her previous Corrie stint. Assessing her career and life so far, she says: “I don’t think you can regret anything you’ve done because you just learn from everything, but I’m really glad to be back now.
“I would love to stay for a little bit longer because I am really enjoying it. We’ll see. At the moment I’m really content here. It works nicely with being a mum. It would be nice to play Rosie as a mum down the line.” With work going so well, and her mum helping out with Matilda, the only other issue for Helen is finding time to see her boyfriend. Scott, 27, signed a four-year deal with Celtic in August, meaning he is based in Glasgow for the foreseeable future. It comes after a few years of playing for different clubs, which sometimes left him and Helen living in hotels. With Helen in Manchester, the actress spends her time away from work travelling to reunite her family. “When I get a day off, it’s about getting down to Scotland and spending time with Scott,” she says. “It would be different if he didn’t have training every day, but he never gets a day off.” Helen adds: “It’s difficult. This weekend I’ll have my last scene of the day then I’ll be travelling up to Scotland with Matilda, then Scott’s got an away game.
“Every weekend I want us to be staying in Scotland. It’s not that far, only three hours’ drive. It’s important for us as a family to have those weekends.
“Me and Scott did go to London at the weekend and it was really nice. It’s important to have that couple time, especially if you’ve been away.”
Despite the distance, the couple back each other’s jobs. Helen says: “He’s been really supportive because I’ve been really supportive of his career, and it’s actually nice for us to have our own things.”
But she admits: “I’m a fan of my boyfriend, I watch his games, but I’m not a football fan.”
Helen Flanagan and Brooke Vincent return to Coronation Street on Monday, February 6, on ITV, with episodes at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.