Amy Robbins, probably best known for playing Dr. Jill Weatherill in ITV drama The Royal, makes her much-anticipated debut in Coronation Street next week as Daisy Midgeley’s estranged mum Christina.
But had things turned out differently, we’d have seen her on the cobbles a lot sooner.
The star has revealed that she auditioned for Coronation Street three times in the past, but was unsuccessful on each occasion.
Amy admits she can’t remember one of the characters she went up for — which is par for the course when you’re a busy, jobbing actress. However, she does remember the other two…
“One of them was Paula, who went out with Sally’s daughter Sophie,” Amy recalls.
If you need a nudge, that would be Paula Martin, the solicitor who represented Sally Metcalfe when she was wrongly convicted of fraud. Amy was beaten to the role by Stirling Gallacher.
And the other character? “It was Ian Puleston-Davies’ ex wife,” Amy adds.
Ian Puleston-Davies played Owen Armstong, and Owen’s ex-wife was Linda Hancock, who was played by Jacqueline Leonard.
Linda’s most recent appearance was last year, when she tried to persuade cash-strapped Gemma and Chesney that her grandson Joseph — Chesney’s son — would be better off living with her in Portugal.
Amy's character Christina arrives on the cobbles on Monday, January 23. She has had minimal contact with Daisy for years, who was raised by her stepmother Jenny (Sally Ann Matthews), and Christina wants to build bridges after finding out on the grapevine that her daughter is getting hitched.
“Christina can’t believe Daisy is getting married and she never knew about it,” says Amy.
“So she wants to get involved in her life again, but it’s not that easy because Daisy isn’t terribly pleased to see her.”
Shedding light on Christina’s personality, Amy explains, “She’s a bit of a hot mess!
“She’s chaotic. She wants the world to think she is different from what she actually is. She can be abrasive, she is confrontational, she is quite vain and self-centred.
"She’s full of one-liners, and always has to have the final say. She’s only been with Jenny half an hour and she’s threatening to give her a fat lip!"
“But I think on the inside, she is hugely vulnerable," Amy continues. "She’s actually got a huge warmth and a capacity to love, if anyone will give her a chance.
“But she has made so many mistakes. She messes stuff up because she never stops thinking about herself.”
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITVX.
