Corrie: Michelle Keegan

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Michelle Keegan: I don't know why men find me so sexy..I hate my legs, bum and thighs
Olivia Buxton,
sundaymirror.co.uk
1st March 2009

On screen, she's the feisty, foxy teenager who has caused havoc in Coronation Street - where men are literally fighting over her. And in real life she's been nominated as Soap's Sexiest Female, her mailbag bulges with requests for photos and male fans send in their mobile numbers hoping for a date. But Michelle Keegan, 21, whose character Tina McIntyre is coming up to the climax of her biggest storyline yet on screen tomorrow, is riddled with insecurities about her looks - and can't understand why men find her sexy. She'd even consider going under the knife to improve her appearance.

She says: "Like most girls my age, I worry about how I look and what my figure looks like and, actually, being on screen has made it even worse. There are certain things I would change about myself if I could. I'm self-conscious about my ears. I think they're big and stick out. It doesn't help that Tina's hair is scraped right back and she wears these big hooped earrings.

"Everyone says my ears don't look that big in real life but on screen they look massive. I always pull a few strands of hair over my ears to cover them up but the hair and make-up girls keep tucking it back behind them. I would never say never to surgery and, right now, I wouldn't mind having an operation to pin them back."

At 5ft 4in and weighing just eight stone, Michelle is an enviable size eight - but insists she doesn't like her thighs, bum or legs. "I've got tiny, skinny legs. They're really thin around the calf area but then they go much bigger at the top. My thighs and bottom are big too, in proportion to the top half of my body, which is tiny in comparison. One thing is for sure - you won't see me stripping off for the lads' magazines."

Michelle says that as a teenager she was a bit gawky - and it was only when she had the braces taken off her teeth at the age of 15 that she started to blossom. Now, though, she is so sexy that her Corrie character Tina caused on-screen boyfriend David Platt and rival Gary Windass - played by Mikey North - to come to blows.

In tomorrow night's episode, Gary appears in court on a GBH charge. But will Tina lie on oath to protect David? Michelle reveals: "Although Tina has disappeared before the court case, she does actually turn up for the court hearing. Viewers will see her going into the witness box but you don't know what she's going to say. That's the big question. David thinks she will cover up for him but Tina has more of a conscience than him."

Michelle is remaining tight-lipped about the outcome - but the dramatic court scenes are guaranteed to have viewers gripped. "If Gary does go down, Tina would feel really guilty because she has got morals and she wouldn't like sending an innocent man to prison. She feels for the Windass family as well. But if she doesn't lie for David, it could signal the end of their relationship. I reckon David is too immature for Tina anyway and always expects her to bail him out."

When Michelle joined the ITV soap in January 2008 she had just split with Hollyoaks actor Anthony Quinlan. She is now dating model and club promoter Brad Howard and giggles like a naughty schoolgirl when his name is mentioned. "I've known Brad since I was 17 from going out in Manchester," she says. "He runs club nights and we'd always speak to each other at events. Last year we started sending jokey messages to each other on Facebook. Then we swapped numbers, went for a drink and it went from there. I've always fancied him. He's very hot!"

But Michelle insists that Brad - unlike David Platt - is not the jealous type. She says: "Whenever male fans come up to me in the street, he always takes a step back. I think the only time he gets annoyed is when we're having a romantic meal in a restaurant and people come over. But he understands it's part of the job. He is cool with the fact I get fan mail. But one guy sent me his mobile number and insisted 'We are going to be together'. That was a bit crazy."

Michelle says Brad is equally laidback when it comes to her scenes with Jack P Shepherd, who plays her onscreen lover David. Michelle says: "Brad has met Jack a few times. They get on well, so he's fine about the kissing scenes and he can laugh about them too. Brad is very supportive of my career. If I have a long day filming, he won't moan if he doesn't see me."

Tina has fast become one of soap's most popular characters. But Michelle insists that, unlike Tina, she could never put up with a guy like David in real life. "It would do my head in," she says. "The moment he showed signs of being a bad boy or a weirdo, he'd be gone. I like a guy with a bad-boy streak - but not a big one, just a hint. If he was cheeky and had a bit of banter that would be enough for me. I love boys like actor Danny Dyer and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo - they'd be the kind of guys who'd keep you on your toes.

"Brad is not a bad boy but he does have an edge to him. He's got the banter and if someone gets on his nerves, he'll tell them. He is not a fighter but he's not afraid to voice his opinion. But he does have a really kind and thoughtful side to him. He looks after my sausage dog Phoebe when I'm working and he surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas as a Christmas present and recently took me away to a spa in Bath for a few days."

So with her love-life looking rosy, has the recent baby boom among the Corrie cast made Michelle yearn to become a mum? "Actually, I was broody a few months ago - but then I got a dog and now I couldn't think of anything worse! I can't even cope with the dog. What would I be like if I had a baby?"

Michelle grew up in Manchester with her brother Andy, now 18. Her parents split when she was 13 and she went to live with her mum, stepdad and brother. She remains close to her dad, a police inspector, and is living with him while she saves up to buy her own house. She says: "Like Tina, I'm a bit of a Daddy's girl. I never step out of line, although I'm quite cheeky. I'm always in trouble at home."

Michelle's parents are incredibly proud of her success - just two years ago she was working at the check-in counter at Manchester Airport. Already a favourite with the soap's fans, she can't wait for more gritty storylines - and to dress up for the British Soap Awards in May.

"I don't mind wearing jeans and Ugg boots to play Tina but it will be nice to get glammed up for the event," she says. Last year she wowed crowds in a floor-length turquoise Versace gown, won Best Newcomer and partied until 7am. Will she do the same if she beats Corrie co-stars Helen Flanagan and Katherine Kelly to be named Sexiest Actress? "I've got such stiff competition, I don't expect to get an award. But whoever wins, it's cause for celebration. Watch this space...!"

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Teenage agony of Coronation Street sexpot Michelle Keegan
Claire Donnelly
24/07/2009

As an ugly duckling schoolgirl with wonky teeth and tram-track braces, Michelle Keegan never dreamed she would one day be hailed as a soap sexpot. But in just 18 months of playing Corrie’s feisty Tina McIntyre, her good looks and natural acting ability have won her an army of fans – and a clutch of awards. Now she’s up for Sexiest Female at autumn’s Inside Soap Awards.

Yet it seems 22-year-old Michelle wasn’t always such a stunner. “I sooo wasn’t the pretty one at school, I really wasn’t,” she says. “I don’t think anyone would have thought that about me. I was a late developer. My teeth were really bad – they were all wonky. One was sticking out and one was bent back.

“I was so paranoid about my teeth I never, ever smiled because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself and it started to affect my confidence. I remember being at a youth club once and some lad shouted something out about my teeth in front of everyone and I was just crying my eyes out. I had awful braces, proper tram-track ones, top and bottom, for four years. They were really painful but it was worth it. When the braces were off I was smiling constantly. And I wouldn’t have had a career now if I hadn’t had them done.”

Flashing her gleaming mega-watt smile, she confides: “I’ve got another brace on my bottom teeth now, but you can’t see it, and one behind the front ones – just to make sure they stay where they should.”

Her teeth are the only things she has had improved – so far. Michelle admits: “There are lots of things I’m not happy with – my nose, my ears, I’d love them to be smaller. They’re not things I’d think about getting fixed but I wouldn’t rule it out. I don’t diet, though. I hate it when people starve themselves, it’s daft.”

To go with her newfound confidence she now enjoys dressing up for red carpet dos, much to the delight of her mother. “I was a complete tomboy,” laughs Michelle. “I was into sportswear – trackies, Rockport and big, baggy hoodies. My mum hated it, she’d be trying to get me in dresses and I’d be going in JJB sports buying another hoodie. She definitely prefers the new me.”

Michelle’s “completely new life”, as she calls it, started when she bagged a part in Coronation Street in January 2008 on only her second audition. At the time she was working on the make-up counter at Selfridges in Manchester’s Trafford Centre. “I was always performing but I didn’t even consider it could be a career,” she says. “So when I finished school I concentrated on getting a normal job. I worked in Selfridges for five years. I had acting lessons once a week but thought it would take years for my career to take off.”

But just one month after getting an agent, Michelle was cast in Corrie. She says: “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d get it. Then I got called back to meet the producer the next day. I took the call at Selfridges and I was screaming on the shop floor I was so excited.” But on set, her enthusiasm soon gave way to terror.

She admits: “I was thinking, ‘Any minute now they’re going to realise I can’t do it’. One of my first lines was calling Gail Platt a ‘power-crazed midget’. I felt really cheeky saying it, so I said sorry afterwards! I didn’t know how much Corrie would change my life. I’d read all the magazines and then suddenly I was in them.”

But the sudden fame and fortune hasn’t gone to her head. Michelle spends her spare time quietly with her boyfriend of 12 months, promoter and model Brad Howard, 22. She is also saving to buy her own home. She says: “I’m good with my money because I don’t know how long it’s going to last. I did spend my first pay cheque on a bag – a £2,000 Chloe one – and I’m glad I did. But since then I’ve been sensible. You never know when all this might end. I pinch myself every day because it’s like a dream – my worry is I’ll wake up and it won’t be real.”

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There was a story that went with this special treat, but who cares!

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[SpursFan1902]

Thats too bad. I like Tina, although she does go off half cocked sometimes, making things worse rather than better. But she is loyal and pulls a mean pint. I hope they give her some good storylines before she goes.

[SpursFan1902]

Ok, 1. When is Rita going to realize that THIS BABY IS NOT TINA'S and 2. Did Tina really just give birth with her hair all piled on her head like a member of the 18th century French royal family?

[Twirley]

What is Tina doing????