Coronation Street’s Catherine Tyldesley reveals ‘brutal’ comment that still haunts her
The actress returned to the ITV soap earlier this year as Eva Price
Catherine Tyldesley returned to Coronation Street after seven years away(Image: Instagram)
Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley opened up about a brutal comment she received during an audition that has stayed with her for years.
The 42-year-old actress first arrived in Coronation Street as Eva Price back in 2011. After a tumultuous few years on the cobbles, Eva left for a new life in France with daughter Susie in 2018.
After taking a seven-year break from Weatherfield, Eva returned but as landlady of the Rovers Return. She was joined by Susie, husband Ben Driscoll and his two sons, Will and Ollie – not to mention her mother-in-law Maggie.
Speaking about her first day back on the cobbles, Catherine admitted: “It was surreal. It was like they just had me in a cupboard and thought, ‘should we bob her back on?’
“A lot of the people that I worked with seven years ago were still there, which was just so lovely and I was made to feel so welcome, because I was really nervous. Coming back as a landlady, I was like, ‘oh gosh, big boots to fill’.”
The Coronation Street star has been candid about battling with her weight during her younger years, and recalled a comment that was made in an audition that has stuck with her to this day.
Speaking on the AgeLess podcast, Catherine said: “I remember going to an audition and the director saying to me, ‘Cath, you’re hilarious – you’re always going to be the fat funny one. You’re a character actress.’ I loved comedy, but I also wanted to be a leading lady. That comment stayed with me.”
Now, the actress admitted she’s changed her attitude about weight loss and instead wants to concentrate on being healthier, particularly with two young children.
She said: “It’s no longer about weight loss for me, it’s about health. I want to be on this planet for as long as possible for my children. I want stamina. I want to feel strong.”
Catherine also recently told The Sun’s Fabulous magazine: “I remember in my younger years, I felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way, as a lot of actresses did, and I would crash-diet.
“Whereas, now, I’m older and wiser, I know what my body needs and I respect it a lot more than I did then. I am very much at that point in life where I train hard, I eat well, I treat myself occasionally, I work hard – this is where I’m supposed to be.”
She’s had an emotional return to Weatherfield(Image: ITV)
Focusing on her shift in mindset, she added: “I’m not going to force my body to go in a different direction. I’m not going to live on diets, because that makes me miserable.”
Catherine previously admitted that she feels “blessed” to have been able to return to the cobbles, as she said: “I remember my husband Tom saying to me: ‘God, I hope your next job’s in Manchester, Cath’ – and then we got this call [about the Coronation Street role].
“I’ve been asked before to come back but it didn’t work in the past because I had other projects. This time, I was like: ‘This could work.’ So it all came around at the right time. On a personal and professional level it felt right, and I’m so thrilled to be back. It’s just been gorgeous.””
