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Actress Sally Lindsay has opened up about a cruel twist of fate that saw her career take a major hit in 2006 shortly after leaving her iconic Coronation Street role
Coronation Street legend Sally Lindsay has revealed she was all set to make a TV project with her old pal Peter Kay, but a cruel twist of fate stopped the collaboration.
Recalling how the “horrible” experience impacted her in 2006, Sally told the Mirror that the setback ultimately served her career well but was a stark reminder of how perilous the entertainment industry can be for working-class actors.
State-educated Sally, who broke onto the North West comedy scene back in the 2000s alongside Cold Feet star John Thompson and Phoenix Nights actor Steve Edge, believes it’s harder for kids to break into showbiz these days amid austerity and nepotism.
“I just feel that it was hard for me then because we had nothing. What we forget about working-class kids is it’s about money. It’s about financial support. It’s a dirty word, isn’t it? But that’s what it’s about,” Sally mused to the Mirror last month. “If you have a support you know, somewhere to live or someone to feed you, you’re in a massive position to go.”
Sally continued at the Sedulo Foundation Colour Ball gala in Manchester: “Even if you’ve got a job at Starbucks or Sainsbury’s, how are you going to get a day off for an audition? Where are you going to get 90 quid to get down to London to do an audition for a Mancunian part? I mean, it’s bulls**t. It’s always has been. I think it’s getting I just think it’s getting worse, I really do. And it was tough for us, but at least, at least the cost of living wasn’t as so as impossible, I think.”
Since leaving the cobbled streets of Weatherfield, Sally has continued to shine in the entertainment industry. Her on-screen debut in 2001 as Shelley Unwin in Coronation Street was just the beginning. She has since appeared in a variety of shows, including Sky One’s comedy-drama Mount Pleasant, Scott & Bailey, and BBC sitcom Still Open All Hours. Her most recent role as Jean White in Channel 5’s The Madame Blanc Mysteries, a show she co-created and produces, is a testament to her enduring success in the industry.
But in 2006, after quitting Corrie, Sally feared for her future in the entertainment industry. The former soap star had been due to do a comedy with her long-time pal Peter Kay, but things fell apart before filming began. Last month, Sally recalled how the “horrible” experience before the 2006 financial crash left her wondering if she had been right to quit her job on Corrie.
“When I was leaving [Corrie] I was supposed to do a comedy with Pete, and it all fell through. It was horrible. And all the finance fell apart – it was a big learning curve for me in television,” the mum-of-two, 51, remembered. “Then the [financial] crash happened so I basically had to start again, really,” Sally added, before laughing as she joked: “So I should have really stayed in Corrie, but I didn’t!”
Looking at the positives to be gained from the blow, the former soap star added: “But what was great about that at time is I got deep into theatre. I did loads of tours -I did the Royal Exchange twice. – so I really found my chops again. It was quite wilderness… Two years, three years – it wasn’t that long at all. I was very lucky. And then Mount Pleasant happened, and Scott & Bailey happened, and I got pregnant with my boys. So it’s all busy time for me that can’t quite remember the first a couple of years [after leaving Corrie].”
Soap legend Sally was 24-years-old when she first met and formed a friendship with legendary comedian Peter. She went on to appear in the Bolton-born funny-man’s Channel 4 series Phoenix Nights and in the video for the Comic Relief single Is This the Way to Amarillo? The close friends even appeared in an episode of Corrie together in January 2004, when the comic made a cameo as Newton & Ridley drayman Eric Gartside, who went out on a date with Sally’s character Shelley.
Sally was talking to the Mirror at The Sedulo Foundation’s star-studded charity event in Manchester in June, where she hosted the star-studded event at Hilton Deansgate. The yearly extravaganza, organised by financial advisory firm Sedulo, raked in an impressive £125,000 in 2023.
With branches in Manchester, Liverpool, London, Leeds and Birmingham, the Sedulo Foundation aims to lend a helping hand to underprivileged kids in the North West. Since its inception in 2022, the charitable arm of Sedulo has assisted over 25,000 youngsters by providing school necessities, sanitary products, and Christmas presents to disadvantaged children. The initiative was launched by Sedulo’s founder, Paul Cheetham-Karcz.
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