Michelle Collins: 'I'll make sure Stella is great'

Coronation Street newcomer Michelle Collins has pledged her commitment to ensuring that Stella Price becomes one of the soap's "great" characters.

The former EastEnders actress recently found herself at the centre of controversy when tabloid reports criticised her attempt at a Northern accent for the role of Stella. It was later alleged that the new arrival could be axed by bosses, but Collins and Coronation Street's producer Phil Collinson soon spoke out to rubbish the claims.

Reflecting on last week's row in a new interview with OK magazine, Collins commented: "What is hurtful is that it is just untrue. I have had so many texts from people saying, 'Oh sod 'em'. And I thought, no, I'm not going to be dignified and sit this one out.

"It's not a true representation of what the public think. When I'm bouncing about, working in London and Manchester, people are coming up to me and telling me that they're loving what I'm doing."

Collins continued: "I've been made so welcome. I'm a big girl. I can take it! And I ain't going anywhere, so get used to it! I'm going to do my darndest to make Stella one of the great Corrie characters."

Coronation Street's new recruit added that she was disappointed over cricket star Freddie Flintoff's recent comments on her performance. Last month, he tweeted: "Can't get my head round Cindy off EastEnders trying to talk with a northern accent. Just need Jack Duckworth to pop up in the Queen Vic giving it a bit of rhyming slang!"

Collins told the magazine: "Oh for God's sake, Freddie! I haven't been in EastEnders for 15 years. I would never slate another person in the public eye - I think that's very unfair of him."

Stella's current storyline sees her trying to build up a relationship with Leanne Barlow after revealing herself as her long-lost mother.

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Re-watch Michelle Collins's first Coronation Street scenes in the video below: