Returning Coronation Street star Tracie Bennett says she feels “absolute terror” at playing Sharon Bentley again after 22 years.
She says: “I was scared to come back because there’s a lot of people watching you with no rehearsals... you might mess up.
“I make myself more nervous by trying to get it right all the time – there was absolute terror.”
Since quitting Weatherfield, Tracie has won two Olivier Awards for West End productions and been nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Judy Garland on Broadway.
She says she was enticed back to the soap with the promise of a “dark and complex” storyline.
In the new plot, Sharon has narrowly survived cancer, nursed by her brother Wayne – who has himself now died. Speaking for her character, Tracie explains: “I’m devastated and I’m kind of on my own.”
The actress has suffered loss too, losing 12 friends to Covid.
She said of the ordeal: “No one trains you to say goodbye over the phone. It’s traumatising.”
But she is keen to get back to work on Corrie, which she says “jump-started” her acting career at 21. As well as theatre work, Tracie has enjoyed success in TV dramas including Scott & Bailey.
Tracie, 59, also recalled some cheeky advice she got from Pat Phoenix, who played Coronation Street legend Elsie Tanner.
With Sharon’s tomboy character costumed in dungarees, Pat advised her to “wear stockings and suspenders underneath, for a twinkle in the eye”.
