Former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley has opened up about the sacrifices she has had to make in order to pursue a successful television career.
Catherine played the role of Eva Price in Corrie between 2011 and 2018 and was involved in some huge storylines, including relationships with Jason Grimshaw and Aidan Connor.
However, Catherine has since revealed on the White Wine Question Time podcast that she had to make a split-second decision over whether or not to actually attend her Coronation Street audition, as she got the call for it at a very awkward time.
Strangely enough, the same thing happened ahead of her first big television role, which saw her star as Iris Moss in TV miniseries Lilies, as Catherine explained.
‘I have always sacrificed a lot for my career. There were two big jobs…when Lilies came along I was in France and they wanted to see me for a recall. I was on a very long overdue holiday that I’d saved up for for ages.
‘My agent said they really liked me and I remember thinking that it’d cost me more money to fly back; I didn’t have much at the time but I thought “Let’s do it!”
‘Weirdly, I was about to fly to Washington when I got a call from Coronation Street and it was the same scenario. We were physically getting on the plane. And luckily, my friend, said “Oh babes, I’m fine. Go! You have to go!”‘
Luckily for Catherine, the sacrifice was worth it, as she ended up booking both jobs.
Despite her success, she also went onto reveal that she often experiences imposter syndrome, and has to remind herself of these events when things get tough.
‘It’s decisions like that where I do have days of self-doubt, I do have impostor syndrome but to my truest self, I know I can do it,’ she revealed.
‘It’s digging deep on those days where you feel really low and you don’t have any confidence.
‘Moments like that have taught me that sometimes taking a risk and making a small sacrifice can absolutely pay off. You’ve got to be dedicated in this industry.’
Since leaving Coronation Street, Catherine has had a successful career, appearing on Strictly Come Dancing and starring in sitcom Scarborough.
She is set to team up with fellow soap star Danny Hatchard in the UK tour of Bonnie and Clyde The Musical this year.
