Michelle Keegan felt like an outsider in first role on Coronation Street

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about her new role in Ten Pound Poms, Keegan came to reflect on her past in long-running soap Coronation Street.

Along with cast members Faye Marsay and Warren Brown, Keegan was asked whether there have ever been any moments where she felt out of her comfort zone or felt like an outsider in order to draw on first-hand experience for her role in Ten Pound Poms.

She said: “Probably my first job, probably when I first started Corrie. I still get it a little bit now, the imposter syndrome. A lot of people talk about that and I’ve still got it now.

"I think when I first started Corrie, I was only 19 and it was my second ever audition," she continued. "I went into the audition and I had not an inkling that I was going to get the job; I purely went to see what it was like to be in an audition room and meet directors and stuff. I didn’t think for a second I was going to get the job so when I did get the job, I was like ‘Ok, what the hell do I do now?’"

Keegan added: "I’d watched Corrie all my life – my family were massive fans of Corrie. I remember walking into the green room and seeing certain chairs and I was thinking, ‘Am I allowed to sit in the chair? Is that someone’s chair?’ I was the outsider, I didn’t understand where I fitted in at all.

"It took me a while to get my groove in Coronation Street, especially walking on the cobbles. I remember seeing Ken Roach, who plays Ken Barlow, walking towards me and I couldn’t get my head round the fact that Ken Barlow was walking towards me. So yeah, probably back then.”

Of course, Keegan became a household name with her role as Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street from 2008 to 2014. She was featured in many dramatic storylines until her decision to leave the show, which saw her character killed off.

Read more:

• Michelle Keegan remains a mystery in Ten Pound Poms teaser
• Michelle Keegan stars in first trailer for BBC drama Ten Pound Poms

In her new role as Kate, Keegan remains ever the mystery and her character's storyline differs slightly from Marsay and Brown's Annie and Terry Roberts. While the couple and their family have moved to Australia in hopes of a better life, Kate is travelling alone for other reasons.

Teasing more about her role, Keegan said: “So I play Kate Thorne, who is a nurse and her storyline is a lot different to Faye’s and Warren’s. They’re going out to start a future for themselves, a different sort of life whereas my character Kate, she’s going to Australia to re-write her past.

"Her storyline is very emotionally led and there’s a reason why she’s gone to Australia that isn’t clear in the first episode. It progresses as the show goes on. There’s a method to her madness, there’s a reason why she’s over there and she’s planned it.”

Ten Pound Poms premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 14th May, airing weekly on BBC One and with all episodes available on iPlayer immediately.

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