Michelle Collins, who now breathes life to Cindy Beale on EastEnders is looking back at her time on Coronation Street. She has opened up about the backlash she faced during her time in Corrie. While she remains a fan-favourite in Walford, her stint as Stella Price, the landlady of the Rovers Return, sparked controversy. Now, Collins has admitted that the criticism over her role left her feeling upset.
Viewers Don’t Like Her Northern Accent
Michelle Collins joined Coronation Street in 2011 and stepped into the role of Stella Price. The show introduced Stella alongside her boyfriend, Karl Munro, and daughter, Eva, with her mother, Gloria, arriving later. Despite her star power from EastEnders, viewers didn’t immediately embrace her character. The biggest issue? Her accent. Collins, a London-born actress, had to adopt a northern accent for the role.
Speaking on the We’re Not Getting Any Younger podcast with Lisa Snowdon and Andy Goldstein, she admitted that this decision confused and frustrated fans. “I was the landlady of the Rovers, and I think people thought, ‘We can’t have a Londoner running the Rovers,’ so they made me northern.” Collins worked with a dialect coach to master the accent, but viewers remained critical.
Collins stayed in Coronation Street until 2014. During her time on the show, Stella’s backstory revealed that she was the biological mother of Leanne Battersby from a past relationship with Les Battersby. In fact, Stella also had a romance with Jason Grimshaw before her ex, Karl, set fire to the Rovers Return, killing Sunita Alahan. Eventually, Stella left Weatherfield for New York, marking the end of Collins’ time on Coronation Street.
Now, Collins has returned full-time to EastEnders as Cindy Beale and reclaimed the role that made her famous. Meanwhile, Coronation Street is preparing for another major return of Catherine Tyldesley, who played Stella’s daughter Eva. Although Tyldesley hasn’t shared details yet, fans have already started speculating about her character’s storyline. Now, we will have to wait for the upcoming Coronation Street spoilers to reveal the rest. Until next time, stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more soap updates.
