Samia says lots of the cast are offering to be guinea pigs!
The thought of getting up close to someone else’s sweaty feet would have plenty of people running for the hills – but not Corrie star Samia Longchambon, who is training to become a reflexologist.
The 35 year old, better known as Maria Connor in Coronation Street, tells us she hopes to be fully qualified by the end of the year.
Reflexology, in case you didn’t know, is a complementary therapy believed to alleviate stress and treat illness. It involves applying pressure to various points on the feet and sometimes also the hands and ears; the theory being that different points correspond with other areas of the body.
“I’ve always been interest in reflexology and holistic therapy. It’s given me a focus; a break from my own head,” reveals Samia, who recently revealed that she suffers with anxiety.
“I did a baby reflexology course when Yves (Samia’s two year old son with husband Sylvain) was tiny, and I had a bit when I was pregnant. It helps you relax. That’s why I’ve been doing it.
“It’s something different to focus on. I do it as a home study course and send my lessons off to be marked. I’ve got to do a practical at the end.”
And it seems Samia has no shortage of volunteers, revealing that many of her fellow cast members have offered to get their trotters out for a treatment.
“They’re all offering to be guinea pigs,” she adds. “I’ll have to make sure they’ve got clean feet before I start poking round!”
Samia isn’t the only member of the Corrie cast learning a new skill. Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, recently told us that her screen mum Tina O’ Brien (Sarah Platt) is currently attending calligraphy classes.
Meanwhile, away from Weatherfield, a host of other soap actors have secret skills. EastEnders’ Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Fowler, upholsters chairs in her spare time, while Roxy Shahihi – currently on maternity leave from Emmerdale, where she plays Leyla Harding – is a qualified yoga instructor.
Main pic: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
