Former Hollyoaks star Gemma Merna has joined the cast of Coronation Street.
The Manchester-born actress, 40, admitted signing up for the ITV soap is a ‘dream come true’ and admitted she always wanted to appear on the famous cobbles.
Gemma shared a photo on Instagram outside Corrie’s iconic Rovers Return pub and wrote: ‘The news is out.
‘I’ve been hiding a little secret. I’m happy to announce that I have found my dream job at @coronationstreet!
‘Can you believe it?! I’ve wanted to be on Coronation Street since I was a little girl. Being born and raised in Manchester, it really is a dream come true for me.
Former Hollyoaks star Gemma Merna has joined the cast of Coronation Street
The Manchester-born actress, 40, admitted signing up for the ITV soap is a ‘dream come true’ and admitted she always wanted to appear on the famous cobbles
She posted a photo on Instagram in front of Corrie’s iconic Rovers Return pub and wrote: ‘The news is out’
‘It’s been on my vision board for over ten years and I finally got the chance to walk on the cobblestones. I can’t even believe I’m writing this. (sic)’
Gemma added that the ‘best part’ of landing her role in Coronation Street was telling her mother.
She explained, “I think the best part was calling my mom and telling her. To my dad, grandma, grandpa, and grandma, who all watched it for years and were big fans, I hope you’re proud of me up there. (sic)’
Gemma teased her upcoming role, writing: “Rebecca will be on your screens in the coming weeks.”
According to Inside Soap magazine, Gemma’s alter ego Rebecca will be a client of lawyer Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), and she will ‘succumb to his charms’.
Gemma is best known for her role as Carmel Valentine in Hollyoaks.
The soap star appeared in more than 500 episodes of the Channel 4 soap from 2006 to 2014, and in one of her biggest storylines, Carmel was left with serious injuries when a tanning machine exploded in her face.
The character was later killed in an explosion following a train accident at the wedding of her cousin Porsche McQueen (Twinnie Lee Moore).
Gemma is best known for her role as Carmel McQueen in Hollyoaks
Since leaving the soap, Gemma has become a yoga instructor, and in 2016 the star admitted she initially didn’t think she would act again after Hollyoaks.
Since leaving the soap, Gemma has become a yoga instructor, and in 2016 the star admitted she initially didn’t think she would act again after Hollyoaks.
She told BANG Showbiz exclusively at the time: ‘I feel like yoga has put me in a good place because I took a year off and I didn’t feel like I was going to act again and it’s put me in a nice place .’
‘When people first come into the room for one of my classes, they might see me as Gemma from Hollyoaks. But by the time they leave, I’m just Gemma, the yoga teacher, and they had a great class.
‘I am very strict in my lessons, no one gets away with anything! So when they’re in the room, they have to focus on their breathing and just do the lesson.”