Corrie's Fiz 'proud to be ginger'

Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine has declared that she is proud to be ginger.

The actress, who plays Fiz Brown in the soap, told The Mirror: "It wasn't always easy being a redhead - when you're young you just want to fit in. I got off quite lightly. In fact, I enjoyed being different. But there were others at my school who got teased a lot, which is just ridiculous."

Describing winning 2002's 'Redhead of the Year' award as "one of the proudest moments" of her life, she continued: "Everyone has suddenly latched on to how trendy it is to be ginger. Lots of girls I went to school with are now paying a small fortune to have their hair dyed red because they know how great it looks - and I get it for free."