Three years have passed since we last saw Alina Pop in Weatherfield. After splitting with Tyrone, she fled back to Romania. Next week, Alina's spotted by Fiz back in Weatherfield, telling her she's visiting as a witness in a human trafficking trial. But is that all Alina has returned for? On June 24th I sat in a scorching Corrie media suite to interview Ruxandra Porojnicu (who plays Alina) about her return to Coronation Street!
Hi Ruxandra,
What brings Alina back to Weatherfield?
“She’s a witness in a trial (at court) in a case against human traffickers. She has returned (to Weatherfield) and wants to avoid Tyrone but isn't successful!”
How does Alina react when she bumps into Fiz?
“If by choice she would have avoided that at all costs but it happens and she wants to get away from it as soon as possible”
Is she curious to see Tyrone or is it just a case of returning purely for the court case?
“Had it not been for the court case she wouldn't have come back at this point. She had feelings for Tyrone but that was in the past”
Does she still carry any feelings for Tyrone?
“She was looking to build a life with him and they went through a lot of trauma together. I think she still has feelings for him but it's a different type of feeling now”
The last time we saw Alina it looked like she was pregnant. She’s very coy this time. Have you wondered what happened to Alina while she’s been away?
“I’ve been away for two years and know how Coronation Street works! I have thought about Alina and wondered if she would return to cause more drama! I was pleased when I got a call to return and everyone was very welcoming”
She’s been through a lot since she was last on the street. Do you think we will see a more grown-up version of Alina now?
“Yes! Time heals, and you learn from your experiences, which makes you grow as a person”
When you were here last time, we were post-COVID but still worked with restrictions. Are you enjoying being back and able to work more freely?
"Yes, it feels like a completely different job. Before the Tyrone storyline, Alina was with Seb and we had the human trafficking story. During that were some normal times but a big chunk of my last work was during the pandemic which was very challenging but it was great to work with Jenny and Alan (Fiz and Tyrone)"
Thanks, Ruxandra!
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