Coronation Street fans will recall Kym Marsh played Michelle Connor on the ITV soap from 2006 until 2019 – but they might not realise she’s not been totally honest about her real name
Kym Marsh has stunned fans by revealing her “real name” during a catch up chat with a fellow soap star.
The 48-year-old singer and actress first found fame back in 2001 on the smash hit ITV talent show Popstars – through which she landed a part in the chart-topping band Hear’Say. Beloved at first, public attitudes to Hear’Say quickly soured and the band-members found themselves rejected by the nation.
Five years later, however, Kym found her way back into the hearts of the nation after landing the role of Michelle Connor in the ITV soap Coronation Street. On Tuesday, Kym dropped in to the Morning with Chloe Rivers radio show on Suffolk Sound for an interview.
But show host Chloe Rivers was not at the radio desk – and instead Kym was delighted to be reunited with friend and fellow soap star Michael Greco. Soap fans will best remember 54-year-old Michael for playing Beppe di Marco on EastEnders between 1998 and 2002.
Speaking on the show, Kym delivered some surprising anecdotes about her life – including what her real name is. She revealed: “I was Kimberly with an I from birth, but I changed my name as I decided it was really boring.
“I changed it to Kym with a ‘y’ because I thought it was really cool. It took my Dad about 10 years to start writing my name with a y.” The star went on to share some secrets about her time on the Cobbles.
Recalling being cast on the show in 2006, she said: “I was only supposed to be in Coronation Street for four episodes, I didn’t even have a surname, I was just Michelle. I later got a permanent place and the surname Connor.
“When I first started I was in the green room and walked past Bill Roache and in my head was like ‘Oh my God, it’s Ken Barlow!’. Beverley Callard (who played Liz McDonald) was so lovely. She really took me under her wing and made me feel really at ease.
Kym sensationally quit Coronation Street in 2019 – leaving her free to pursue other roles. In 2022 she was a contestant on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing where she was paired with Graziano Di Prima – and they managed to survive 11 weeks before they were booted from the contest in the quarter finals.
Since 2023, Kym has played Nicky Walters in the BBC high school drama Waterloo Road – her role being a school canteen worker and mother to the characters Preston and Tonya. Her character is in a relationship with Donte Charles – who is played by fellow soap star Adam Thomas, who appeared in Emmerdale as Adam Barton from 2009 until 2018.
Last month, Michael addressed speculation that he might return to Albert Square as Beppe amid plans for a spectacular celebration of the soap’s 40th anniversary – but he revealed his fate had already been sealed by Martine McCutcheon. The 48-year-old actress previously played Tiffany Mitchell in EastEnders, first appearing on the soap in 1995 before the character was killed of in 1999.
Michael said: “If Tiffany wasn’t killed off she would probably have gone back to Eastenders, and then they may have asked me back. They are having their 40th anniversary and they have asked a lot of people back but they haven’t asked me back, but that’s OK as my career is heading in a good direction.”
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