Jessie Wallace denies accent struggles

Jessie Wallace has rejected claims that she struggled to master a northern accent for her role in the BBC's new drama exploring the origins of Coronation Street.

The actress was recently cast in the part of Pat Phoenix, who played Weatherfield's Elsie Tanner in the ITV1 soap's early years.

Yesterday, a tabloid report suggested that Wallace had only been able to deliver a few lines at a time during filming because she had found Phoenix's accent so tricky.

However, responding to the claims, Wallace told The Mirror: "I've worked incredibly hard to perfect the accent, listening to archive interviews of Pat for hours and hours.

"I've worked with a voice coach from RADA and if I think I've said the occasional word with a London accent, I just go back to the archive footage to remind me precisely how Pat spoke. If I relax and just do the voice then I'm fine with it."

Yesterday, the team behind the Corrie drama spoke out to defend Wallace following the newspaper rumours. It is understood that that the star only required brief coaching for her voice before taking on the role, contrary to suggestions that she had a dedicated mentor on set.