Corrie - Kym Marsh

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she's a stunning looking woman for sure - and knowing that she's rid of the tory-boy has put her right up in my estimation!

[misslisalynn]

I agree Face she is a beautiful woman and could probably do better than the out of work schlump Jack. I don't know about in the UK but soap actors here in the US quit their shows thinking their popularity will carry them over to the big screen and it hardly ever happens that way.

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Kym and some bloke off Hollyoaks

Antony Cotton

Kirk

Kym again - wahey!
Kym Marsh's fancy dress birthday bash
By Zoe Griffin
15/06/2008

Kym Marsh is one of the sexiest women in soap - and now she's bagged herself a hottie. I can reveal that Corrie star Kym is getting serious with fit Jamie Lomas from Hollyoaks. My spies saw the pair stuck together like glue at her fancy dress birthday bash in Manchester this weekend. There was a whisper they had hooked up at the British Soap Awards last month. But they have kept things super secret since. However, at her 32nd birthday party on Friday, Kym made it clear they are a couple.

An onlooker said: "Kym was having a ball. All her friends turned up and made a real effort with their costumes. But as soon as Jamie turned up, she only had eyes for him."

Kym - who split from husband Jack Ryder in March - threw the party at 235 Casino. The soap star turned up in a PVC number as Catwoman and later squeezed into a tiny Alice in Wonderland costume. Jamie - who plays bad boy Warren Fox in Hollyoaks - arrived dressed as a caveman, gagging to drag her back to his lair.

Kym and Jamie - who is the brother of Charley Webb from Emmerdale - were careful to leave the bash separately. But they hooked up half-an-hour later at the nearby Abode Hotel at 4am. The source said: "Jamie left the party first and got a cab back to the hotel. Kym sneaked off to join him for a bit of yabba dabba doo."

Since becoming single Kym has been linked to footballer Lee Sharpe - and was pictured out with him last month. But her relationship with Jamie, 27, has been hotting up. There were some mad outfits at the party. Antony Cotton came as a giant hotdog and Andy Whyment as a dodgy Austin Powers.

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Yabba dabba do indeed... haha

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Kym's 'Ryding' the wave of success as she lands £100,000 pay deal
By Daily Mail Reporter
20th June 2008

Coronation Street actress Kym Ryder is thrilled after nearly doubling her salary to £100,000. The former pop star, who has played barmaid Michelle Connor since 2006, has negotiated a bumper pay pack with soap bosses, which includes flexible working hours so she can spend time with her two children. The ex-Hear'Say singer, 32, has signed a one year, £100,000 contract - a huge jump from her current £60,000 salary.

A friend of Kym tells the Mirror: 'Kym loves Corrie. When producers offered a new contract and more money, she didn't hesitate. They promised her character will have more big storylines.'

Kym was especially keen to spend more time with her chidlren David, 12; and Emily, 10; since she split from their stepfather Jack Ryder earlier this year. The pal added: 'Kym has been trying to spend as much time as she can with her kids. The break-up was amicable and Jack will carry on seeing them, but she wants to be around for them.'

Kym leaped to fame in 2001 when she appeared on TV talent show Popstars and was chosen to be in Hear'Say. Just a year into the group, Kym quit to start her own solo career. After failing to achieve solo success, Kym turned her attentions to acting and landed a role in late-night Hollyoaks spin-off Hollyoaks: In The City. Since joining the street two years ago, Kym has quickly established herself as one of the most popular stars on the cobbles of Weatherfield and is a regular winner at award ceremonies.

This year alone, Kym has already picked up accolades for Favourite Female Soap Star (TVNow Awards), TV Soap Personality (TRIC Awards), Best Actress (Daily Star Soaper Awards) and Tesco Celebrity Mum Of The Year.

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[tec]

Great article I like her character and her looks as well. The cat woman costume is a winner too.

[misslisalynn]

Thanks Face. Great to hear she will still be on the Street. They called the guy in the caveman suit a hunk? Yuck! I think she could do loads better.

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Kym Marsh on how she recovered from the death of her baby Archie
by Dawn Collinson,
Liverpool Echo
May 12 2009

WHEN actress Kym Marsh talks about her Coronation Street character, Michelle, and how life’s knocks have made her stronger, there’s a strong hint of her own personal survival instinct. After all, while the former Rovers barmaid has had a rollercoaster year emotionally, 32-year-old Kym has suffered her own personal – and also highly public – trauma.

In February this year, Kym and partner Jamie Lomas were in the news for tragic reasons. Their baby son, Archie, died shortly after being born 18 weeks early. It’s obviously been a tough few months since then, but the actress admits she and Jamie, who plays Warren in Hollyoaks, are on the road to recovery and were recently pictured out in public for the first time since their loss.

"I’m much better," she says of her recovery since. "You know, it’s been a long old struggle, but we’ve had a lot of support from our family and friends, which has really helped, and everybody at work has been great."

Wigan-born Kym, who has two children, David, 13, and Emily, 10, from a previous relationship, is now obviously very much a part of the famously close-knit Corrie family. In the three years since she arrived on the Street, she’s become a popular fixture as single mum Michelle, first behind the bar and now in the bookies. Although, she admits, her storylines have been quite a challenge, especially in the past 12 months.

"We’ve been on a right old journey with her, haven’t we?" Kym smiles. "She’s had many ups and downs really. She’s had a bit of a tough time. But she’s just got stronger really, if anything. We’ve seen her take some knocks, but she just keeps getting up. Also she’s made a lot of friends, and now Maria’s part of her family. I think she’s nice and settled."

When Kym arrived in 2006, she was aware that some soap fans thought she would fall at the first hurdle and mess up that crucial transition from singer to actress. But the former Hear’Say member was only too happy to prove them wrong. "A lot of people were expecting me to fall on my arse," she laughs. "I don’t blame them for thinking that. You know, you’ve got to be cynical about it, because nobody knew me to be an actress. I’d just done six months in the West End in Saturday Night Fever, and I got the acting bug again. It was something I really wanted to do, because I used to act a lot at school. Then taking on bit parts here and there really helped groom me for Corrie."

While many Corrie characters come and go, Kym thinks the Connor clan are also part of the reason for her ongoing soap success. "It’s probably one of the only families that have been instantly accepted in years," she explains. "There’s always that funny period when a new family comes in where people don’t really like them because they don’t fit in. Introducing us one by one was probably the best way to do it. It’s probably why people took to us."

After two years with cheating Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) at the Rovers Return, the thought of a romance with boozy bookie Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) made her a little nervous, Kym reveals. "When you’re told you are not going to be with the character you’ve been with for the last two years, you tend to be a bit scared," she confesses. "It’s like, ’right, OK. I feel a little bit out of my comfort zone. I’m not in the pub any more. I have nothing around me that was familiar’, so I was really nervous. And then when they said I was working with Chris I was really, really happy because I think Chris is such an amazing actor."

Peter’s alcoholism has stood in the way of his relationship with Michelle on several occasions. It looked like they were going to get up close and personal again recently – until Blanche barged in with her suitcase. But there’s about to be yet another love interest for Michelle as, this month, factory boss Luke Strong tries to win her over as well. Does Kym think there’s a chance for them?

"Yeah, he obviously likes Michelle," she grins. "We’ve seen him being a bit flirtatious with her, so you never know. A lot of the time when somebody’s new, or we’re new to each other, the writers need to see you both on screen first before they can make their minds up if it works or not. You have an idea that those two people might work really well together, and then when they’re together there’s just not that much excitement between them."

So who will Michelle go for, Peter or Luke? "I don’t think I’ve worked with either of them enough yet for them to say, ‘this is who we think you should be with’, but there’s definite love in the air for Michelle. She’s the object of people’s affections for once," she laughs. "She’s not the one being cheated on."

The outcome of that romance may be up in the air, but does she think there’s a chance of reconciliation with Steve at any point? "It would be nice, but we’ve been together for two years. There’s no relationship in soap that lasts much longer than that, is there? It’s nice to have a bit of a reshuffle and get your character doing other things."

Her character became bitter after finding out about Steve’s fling with Becky. Can we expect to see a mellower Michelle in the coming months? "You can’t blame her, really," says Kym. "Do you remember when she first came in and her boyfriend turned out to be bisexual? She’s had one fella go off with her fella, this other one has been cheating on her with her best friend, she’s lost her husband in a car accident, so she’s a bit unlucky in love, isn’t she? She deserves a bit of happiness. Whether or not she’d find that with Peter or Luke. I don’t know.

"Me? I think she should go for Ken."

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Kym Marsh speaks out about her year of hell
It’s been hard but you have to find a way through everything life throws at you ..I am a survivor
Beth Neil
11/11/2009
mirror.co.uk

Her year has been marked by tragedy, trauma and heartbreak – no wonder Coronation Street’s Kym Marsh can’t wait to see the back of 2009. The loss of baby Archie, born 18 weeks premature, broke her heart. There was sadness as her eight-year marriage to Jack Ryder ended in divorce. And then the collapse of her relationship with Hollyoaks hunk Jamie Lomas shattered all the hope and promise that her year had begun with.

But Kym – better known as unlucky-in-love barmaid Michelle in the hit ITV1 soap – has bounced back, and vows to stay positive about what lies ahead. Things are already looking up for the mother-of-two. Last week she was crowned Celebrity Mum of the Year and she was recently reunited with Jamie.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Kym says: “The start of this year was awful for me, really really rubbish. So I’m hoping for much better things this coming year. It’s been hard but when you’ve got children, you have to find a way through everything life throws at you. You have to carry on and continue because that’s life. I’ve always been a survivor.”

Mention Jamie and Kym can’t stop smiling. Their 16-month relationship ended in October after a series of rows and Jamie moved out of their Cheshire home. But now they’re giving things another shot. “Yes, we’re back together,” confirms Kym, 33. “He hasn’t moved back in yet because we’re taking things one step at a time. But we’re both very happy and everything’s great.”

Her children from a previous relationship – David, 14, and 11-year-old Emily – have helped keep Kym’s spirits up through what has been a traumatic few months. “David tells me I’m a legend,” she says, laughing. “They were both chuffed for me about the award. They said to me: ‘You know what, mum? You are the best mum in the world.’ I know everyone says that about their mum but it’s still nice to hear.”

Kym’s life today as a glamorous soap star is a world away from her poverty-stricken pre-fame days. Eight years ago she was a struggling single mum living on benefits in a damp-ridden rented house, and worrying about how to pay the heating bills.

She says: “I had two small children to support on a tiny budget and life was very difficult. One of my main worries each week was making sure I had enough money for the gas and electric. I had a meter card which I tried to keep topped up but the money didn’t always stretch. There would be times we were in a dark, freezing cold house. As a mum you want to do what’s best for your kids and it killed me. I felt desperate at times, thinking I was never going to lift myself out of this rut. David used to love Thomas the Tank Engine. We’d walk past the shops and he’d say: ‘Have you got enough pennies to buy me a Thomas train, mummy?’ And I’d have to say no. My sister and I would go halves on a bag of nappies. They were very hard times.”

Her past struggle is why Kym is so passionate about easing the problems of other disadvantaged families by launching the Home Heat Helpline. A freephone service, it is aimed at helping low income households to save money on their energy bills.

Millions of Brits are entitled to benefits and payment schemes which could make life easier, especially over the winter months. Kym says: “I’d urge people to find out what they might be entitled to, particularly as the nights are getting so cold. And with Christmas approaching, everyone has extra worries about money. I know what it’s like to be in that position. When we moved into our first nice home in St Albans, David said to me: ‘Do you remember the house with the flying ants and the cold?’

“It’s made my kids so appreciative of what they have now. They’re not spoiled in the slightest. They know if they really want something they’ve got to earn it by doing jobs around the house. That’s the way I was brought up and David and Emily won’t be any different.”

Emily could well be following in her famous mum’s footsteps as well. Kym says: “She goes to drama, loves singing and plays the flute. She’s got a much better voice than I had at her age. David’s not into that side of things at all. He’s a shy boy and is mortified by the attention if anyone even sings Happy Birthday to him.”

Kym first found fame on Popstars where she and four other wannabes, including Myleene Klass and Suzanne Shaw, were put together as doomed group Hear’Say. It means she is a huge fan of other reality talent shows, especially X Factor. She still can’t believe Simon Cowell decided to keep Jedward in the show over Lucie Jones.

She says: “The twins are entertaining but this is a talent show and they’re not talented! The only reason they’re being kept in is because they’re a bit of a joke and a gimmick – to me, that’s wrong. Having said that, I think Simon Cowell is a genius. There’s always a method in his madness.”

Remembering some of the harsh criticism directed at Hear’Say has also given her a soft spot for Danyl Johnson. Kym says: “I’ve felt really sorry for Danyl. He is, without doubt, the best singer by far but he’s been getting such terrible stick. It was so sad to see him a broken man the other week. People don’t realise the damage they cause when they say nasty things about someone. Danyl is just a guy following his dream, he doesn’t deserve all these jibes. I’ve been there myself, reading stuff that’s upset me. I was just a little girl from Wigan who wanted to be a singer. I didn’t have a clue what I was letting myself in for and by the time I did, it was too late. It’s not been a bed of roses and this industry can be very draining. But you have to get used to it. Now any criticism is water off a duck’s back to me. I’ve bettered my life and I’m doing something I love.”

Kym has no plans to return to the pop charts. Her solo career nose-dived and she was dropped by her record label in 2003. Until Coronation Street came along she was doing bits of musical theatre and panto.

She says: “The music industry is so unpredictable. Why would I want to go back? I’ve got a great job on Corrie, I get to see my kids all the time, I live close to the studio, and I love every second of it. I’ve been very lucky but I’ve had to work my arse off to get where I want to be. I’m not massively rich, but I’m comfortable and I do appreciate everything I’ve got. I was brought up to understand that you don’t get anything for free and nobody owes you anything. You work for what you achieve.”

Since joining Corrie three years ago, Kym has been in the thick of many dramatic storylines. Now she plays a key role in the fall-out from Tony Gordon’s murder confession. She recently filmed violent scenes with Alison King (who plays Carla) which left both actresses exhausted.

Kym says: “The impact on everyone involved in this plot is massive, but when Michelle finds out that Carla knew all along, it kicks off. Ali and I just went for it – we were both aching the next day from the fight scene. We were knackered. I think that’s when we realised we weren’t as fit as we used to be.”

There might even be love on the horizon for Michelle when Keith Duffy returns to the soap in the new year as ladies’ man Ciaran McCarthy. Kym says: “Michelle hasn’t had much luck with her love life. Steve, Peter and Luke all ended up hurting her, so it’d be nice to see her settle down with someone who makes her happy. I haven’t met Keith yet but I’ve heard that Michelle catches Ciaran’s eye, so there could be something developing there. Michelle is a great character to play. There was a time when she came across as a bit prudish, but she’s becoming a bit more sparky and feisty again. She’s got her pizzazz back.”

Seems like Kym’s new year is already starting to shape up very nicely.

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Check the 'soapstar interviews' thread to see Kym on today's Paul O'Grady Show