Coronation Street Blog: Kym Marsh speaks to the Blog about her Corrie "break"

When Kym Marsh arrived on the Corrie cobbles, bosses were taking a bit of gamble. Kym was best known for being 'the one with the personality' in TV talent show pop band Hear'Say but the band's fortunes were short-lived and the various members went on to various media careers with mixed success.

Kym definitely made the most successful journey and before long, became a firm and popular fixture on Coronation Street. Over recent years however, the character's failed relationships and numerous tragedies have made the character seem a bit lost and out of place. Michelle had become a bit Marmite for viewers. And after so long in the same job it was only a matter of time before Kym decided to move on.

And so this week Kym Marsh confirmed that she is taking a “break” from Coronation Street to work on other projects. So how were her final days filming?

“It was really emotional, and very weird. The week leading up to it was the worse, but it was good because I had to film quite a lot of emotional stuff so crying was not a problem!

"My last day was really emotional, my final scenes were with Connors which was lovely – and in the Rovers which was nice.”

Kym leaving Corrie is often described as her taking a “break” from work, however she’s keen to reassure fans that just because Michelle will no longer be seen on the cobbles, that doesn’t mean Kym will be disappearing from our screens altogether saying, “I literally haven’t stopped!”

Asked whether she took any momentoes from the set, Kim admitted to stealing a couple of bit of costume but revealingly adding “I didn’t take too much because at some point I think she (Michelle) will go back!”

Back in't'day

On her favourite storyline, Kym spoke about working closely with Simon Gregson:

“Over the years I’ve had some really funny stories with Simon, and that’s not easy! You just can’t do anything without laughing at him, it’s ridiculous!

“I guess the storyline I’m most proud of is Michelle’s baby loss storyline. I was proud of myself for being able to through it in the first place. It’s obviously quite tricky to put yourself back in a place you didn’t really want to be. But it was absolutely the right thing to do because the reasons we wanted to do it were absolutely valid.

“I ended up sitting in front of Jeremy Hunt (then Health Secretary) having a meeting with him about trying to change the law. All because we chose to do that story.”

Kym explains how difficult it was to film the storyline having gone through a similar tragedy herself but she felt it was important to do it, and make it as real as possible:

“It would have been so easy to tell that story and take away some of the really harrowing bits because it might upset someone, and actually we told the story in its entirety and I was really pleased with it.”

We then move on to the future and Kym’s “break” from Corrie.

After this interview she’s off filming for new independent film ‘The Loss Adjuster’ and is very excited to be working with Luke Goss and Martin Kemp on the project, as well as Joan Collins, who actually doesn’t share any of the same scenes.

“I don’t get to work with Joan which is a shame. It’s an independent movie which we’re taking to Cannes, ready for Christmas release 2020.”

Kim gets very giddy when explaining that she play’s Luke Goss’s wife Angie in the film, much to the annoyance and jealousy of some of the journalists in the room.

I then ask her about which character or actor she didn’t get to work with much during her time on Corrie, that she would have liked more storylines with.

"I was very lucky in that being in the pub means that you're always in scenes with most people. It would have been nice if Maria and Michelle had had more time together, we dipped in and out of that really."

Samia Longchambon chips in from the other side of the room, "Sometimes it's overlooked that they are related...so when you come back...!"

It seems very likely Kim WILL be back.

So for Michelle Connor, the end is nigh. She's selling up and getting away. But not before a few more dramas play out to see her on her way.

I'm on Twitter: @StevieDawson