Julie Hesmondhalgh says she felt the 'weight of expectation' after leaving Corrie (VIDEO)

Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh has told us that she felt a "weight of expectation" when it came to her first TV role since playing Hayley Cropper.

Speaking to whatsontv.co.uk at the British Soap Awards, the actress revealed that her first day on the set of new Russell T Davis show Cucumber was daunting.

"I’d done a couple of theatre shows and I thought that was scary enough," she told us. "But actually, I feel a bit of a weight of expectation with the first telly thing that you do. Hopefully I'll settle into it a bit over time. It's a great part."

Hesmondhalgh added of leaving the ITV show: "I think it does matter a bit what you do afterwards. For that little period when people are still looking. Soon I’ll be free to do whatever I want and nobody will care!"

She also described being at the awards ceremony as "bittersweet", saying that she missed the cobbles.

"It’s lovely to be back with the old gang again and see everyone," she said. "It’s lovely because the Hayley and Roy storyline is up for so many awards tonight, so I’m dead proud to be part of that so I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

"I’m sure we’ll come home with something," she added. "I’d really really love for us to come away with Best Storyline, because it’s been such an important storyline for the show and for a lot of people who’ve lost people to cancer."

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