Stephanie Beacham has said she is happier in thermals and Ugg boots than in a glitzy Hollywood frock. The 61-year-old Coronation Street actress told the Daily Express newspaper she decided it was time to "quieten down and grow up" when she rejected some of her past glamour for the realities of the Weatherfield street. Stephanie, who lives in LA but has returned to England to film her three-month run in the ITV1 soap, said: "I don't miss any of it. You can't miss the pain of seven-inch heels. "In Coronation Street, I literally live in Ugg boots and 10 layers of thermals but it's actually lovely to be comfortable every day. I'm in Manchester in the rain and cold and I'm filming by the canal. I've even developed a chest infection but I'm loving it." Stephanie plays Ken Barlow's love interest Martha in the soap and is set to cause outrage when she clashes with Ken's mother-in-law Blanche when it is revealed that Ken told Martha his long-term partner Deidre was dead. Stephanie has her own real-life secret love interest - a Spain-based British doctor who is older than her and who she wants to keep out of the limelight. Stephanie, who admitted she used to have a penchant for toyboys, said: "I have met my match. He's a medic so my daughters call him Doctor Love." Get all the latest soap gossip delivered straight to your door. Subscribe to Soaplife magazine today Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop
