Ten Things You Never Knew About Kym Ryder

Kym Marsh shot to fame after being picked to be one-fifth of manufactured pop group Hear'Say on 2002's Popstars: The Rivals. The band may have eventually crashed and burned, but the resilient single mum launched a solo career, starred in the West End and hooked herself a celeb husband in the shape of EastEnders heartthrob Jack Ryder. Since landing a role as barmaid Michelle Conor in Corrie, she's proved a hit with viewers, scooping a best newcomer award and a spanking new £100,000 contract to boot. Read on to find out a few tantalising titbits about Weatherfield's resident singer-turned-actress.

1. Music is obviously in Kym's genes - her dad David was in a band called Ricky And The Dominant Four, who supported the Beatles at Liverpool's Cavern Club.

2. Kym toured the UK with the starlight roadshow at the tender age of ten after she wowed the audience at a local labour club with her rendition of Cliff Richard's 'Living Doll'.

3. Kym's childhood nickname was Trio, after the girl on the popular '80s chocolate bar. She admits: "There was a girl on the advert named Susie who had the biggest mouth, and my brother used to call me Trio because he said I had a big mouth, I was very loud. I can't imagine why he thought that."

4. Kym released a song called 'One Kiss' at the age of 13, which bagged her a promotional appearance on This Morning. The video was also popular in Poland, we hear!

5. Kym attended Liverpool's Elliot Clarke Stage school for two years, but left at 15 after deciding that singing one day a week simply wasn't enough.

6. How did Kym pay her way before finding fame with Hear'Say? Among other jobs, she was a sales assistant, receptionist, singing teacher and an Ann Summers party rep. How very naughty!

7. Kym reckons she'd be a makeup artist if she'd never made it as a singer. She explains: "When I auditioned for Popstars, two weeks prior to that, I'd just enrolled in college to do beauty because I'd decided that that was my last year of trying to be a singer."

8. Kym says she knew almost immediately that ex-hubby Jack Ryder was the man for her. She says: "I mean, I'd seen him on EastEnders and thought he was cute, but I also thought he was about 15. Then he came up to me at the BBC bar - which is unlike Jack because he's really shy and choosy about who he speaks to - and he just said hi and told me that he thought I was a really lovely down-to-earth-girl. We hit it off straight away."

9. Before landing her role in Corrie, Kym's favourite Weatherfield character was brassy Liz McDonald. She later became close pals with Liz's alter ego Beverley Callard after joining the soap.

10. Kym is no stranger to googling her own name. She admits: "Yes I do that quite a lot. It's nice to see what your fans think of what you are doing." Well, let's hope they approve!