Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan)

[Perdita]

Coronation Street's Tina McIntrye - played by 21-year-old Michelle Keegan - has been caught between a rock and hard place since her boyfriend David (Jack P. Shepherd) asked her to lie to the police for him following his viscious fight with neighbour Gary Windass (Mikey North). With Gary's freedom at stake and Tina unsure what to do, the situation quickly becomes too much for her to handle. Running away just days before the trial, David and the rest of the family panic as to her whereabouts. Will Tina turn up in time to testify? And if she does, will she tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? We caught up with Michelle to find out more.

Why does Tina run away from all of her problems?
"She just can't take it anymore. She's only young and to have the weight of the court case on her shoulders as well as worrying about her dad's financial troubles takes its toll on her. Her dad's trying to get her to tell the truth and her boyfriend's asking her to lie for him - she just doesn't know what to do for the best. At the end of the day, all she cares about is her family."

What's the thing that pushes her over the edge?
"I just don't think anyone understands her situation. And it frustrates her when all David has to say is 'you only have to lie'."

She's caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. What's her heart telling her to do?
"Tina's definitely has a conscience and morals. The whole situation is something that she's not taking very lightly at all, whereas David doesn't think twice about lying. They say opposites attract, though, don't they?!"

Does she truly love David?
"Yeah. But I think with situations like this, though, she starts to see his true colours."

Does she have any feelings for Gary?
"I don't think so. She probably sees that Gary's just as bad as David in the whole situation. She realises that she's been used as a pawn in their petty battle, which is something that she's not taking too lightly."

Do you think she'll ever see Gary in a different light?
"I think she definitely likes the attention from him, but I don't think she looks at anyone else because she's with David. That's the kind of girl she is - she's definitely the faithful type."

What happens during trial week?
"Well obviously Tina's run away from it all but while she's away from the Street, she knows that the problem's still going to be there when she gets back – and realises that it'll be even worse if she doesn't attend court. It's a real dilemma for her, but Tina being Tina does the right thing and turns up in the nick of time."

David's happy, then?
"Yeah, but for the wrong reason. All David's happy about is that Tina's actually made it to the court in time. He's not best pleased, though, when he hears what she has to say…"

In the aftermath of it all, where does this leave Tina and David as a couple?
"Their relationship begins to spiral straight away and David's jealously returns. It's too much for Tina and she's pushed over the edge."

There's a huge web of lies that's been spun by the Platts and McIntryes. Will it ever unravel?
"In real life the truth always comes out, so everything's got to surface at some point. It has to."

How does it feel to have been thrust to the centre of the show?
"It's very daunting. When I heard, I just remember thinking 'oh my God, can I actually do this?' So it's really scary, but at the same time, I just feel so privileged to have been given the opportunity to be part of the show and to have been handed such fantastic storylines."

Corrie's Tina on screen family and Windasses


Coronation Street's Michelle Keegan has really come into her own over the last year. Producers have catapulted her character Tina McIntyre to the forefront of the show, alongside screen boyfriend David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd). Gail's (Helen Worth) new love interest - and Tina's father - Joe McIntrye (Reece Dinsdale) quickly followed and before you could say 'here come the Windasses', two new family units were born.

There's no doubt about it, Michelle's performance as Tina has injected a new lease of life into the Platt clan. It would be refreshing, however, to see Tina stand on her own two feet a little more. Maybe delve a little deeper into her back story? Learn a tad more about the relationship she has with her mother?

If you haven't already found it yet, click here to read my recent interview with Michelle. If you have, read on to hear what she has to say about the Windass clan, her screen mum, working in the Kabin, and what we can expect from her character over the next few months.

What have been your thoughts on the integration of the Windass family into Corrie?
"I think they're really good. They've settled in so well on the Street. Again, it's been great to have been involved in the storyline which introduced them to the soap. I think it was about time that the Platts had another rival family. It was the Grimshaws before - and Gail's friendship with Eileen still bubbles under - but the Platt/Windass relationship just works so well. I definitely think that there's still a lot to learn about them, though. Like any family, they have a past which is just waiting to be explored."

Tina has an interesting relationship with her father, yet we don't know much about their past. Is this something that we'll discover more about?
"It's quite possible in the future. At the moment, Tina looks like she's the one doing the parenting as she's the one lecturing Joe, rather than the other way around."

We've not seen Tina's mum Anna [Susan Mitchell] in a while. Will we be seeing anything more of her?
"I'm not sure, but I'd really like to see her back on screen. Even though she and Joe aren't together anymore, it'd be interesting to learn how and why their relationship disintegrated and how Gail reacts to her reappearance now that she's with Joe. I know that Tina doesn't really get on with her mum, so it'd be nice to explore the contrast between them and maybe see a little more where Tina's come from, as it were. Actually, that's quite a good idea for a storyline - I might pitch that one to the writers!"

You've had some great scenes over the past few months in the Kabin…
"When I originally found out that I was working with Barbara [Knox] and Malcolm [Hebden], I was so nervous. I mean, Barbara's a legend, isn't she! I love doing the Kabin scenes because it's a break from the doom and gloom of Tina's home life! I'm looking forward to Andrew Sachs joining, too. There should be some great scenes in the Kabin between him and Malcolm."

What can we expect from Tina later in the year. Can you tease us about what's to come?
"After the trial, I think she'll need to focus on her dad a bit more. Joe's troubled past is going to rear its head and impact on her more than I think she could imagine."

[walsh2509]

From what I've read , Tina spilts from David and Joe spilts from Gail. The girl playing Tina got a new contract not that long ago and will be in the show for sometime yet.

Q? is, splitting from David and her dad splitting from Gail , they will move out of the Platts house. Where will they be staying ? its not like there's any empty houses in the street and I take it they can't afford one of Tony's flats. So where are they going to put her or her and her dad.

[Perdita]

Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan has confirmed that she has no plans to strip off for lads' mags in the future.

The 21-year-old actress, who plays Tina McIntyre on the ITV1 soap, revealed that she would never show off her figure in sexy photoshoots - because she does not feel confident enough.

"I've got tiny, skinny legs. They're really thin around the calf area but then they go much bigger at the top," Keegan told the Sunday Mirror.

"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."

Keegan also admitted that she is self-conscious about her ears, explaining: "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."

Despite her insecurities, the star confirmed that she has a number of male admirers and is currently involved in a relationship with model and club promoter Brad Howard.

"Whenever male fans come up to me in the street, [Brad] always takes a step back," she said. "I think the only time he gets annoyed is when we're having a romantic meal in a restaurant and people come over."

Keegan recently signed a new Coronation Street contract, keeping her in Weatherfield for another 12 months.

[Perdita]

Michelle Keegan has dismissed claims that she and co-star Ryan Thomas are romantically linked.

The Coronation Street actress - whose on-screen alter ego Tina McIntyre is engaged to Jason Grimshaw - said her friendship with Thomas is "purely a work one".

She told the Daily Star: "We don't even see each other outside of work. I love working with him, we get on really well but that’s really all it is.

"A few things have been said about Ryan and I, but our relationship is purely a work one.

Michelle admits she is not yet ready to marry her long-term boyfriend, model and club promoter Brad Howard.

The couple have reportedly been dating for the past two years. Michelle added: "We don’t even live together yet. So I suppose we’ll have to do that first!"


Doth the lady protest too much ?

[Perdita]

oronation Street's Tina McIntyre was rocked to the core a fortnight ago when step-mum Gail (Helen Worth) revealed that her father Joe planned to fake his own death. Unbeknown to the McIntyre-Platts, though, Joe was knocked overboard while sailing his boat and his body floated to the surface of Lake Windemere a week later. Having undertaken the gruesome task of identifying her dad's body, Tina - played by 22-year-old Michelle Keegan - remains suspicious about her father's demise. As the police continue questioning Gail, they - along with Tina - begin to believe that Gail is more involved than she's letting on. Here, DS chats to Michelle about Tina's state of mind as the investigation into Joe's death rumbles on.

You must be pleased that you've been handed another meaty storyline…
"Definitely. I always think, 'God, I've got to do it justice', and then you start worrying, 'What if I don't?' so it's really nerve-wracking. When I first heard about the Joe storyline, I thought, 'Oh no, poor Joe!' (Laughs) It's a great storyline and I really wanted it to look as genuine as possible."

What was going through your mind when you had to film the morgue scene and identify Joe's body?
"I love Reece and we got on so well - to me, he was like a father figure at work. So when he left, it was like I'd lost someone who I really cared about. I just thought about that and I really missed him, so I was quite emotional at the time."

What's it like on set without Reece now?
"There's definitely a void. Nobody's filled that void yet, though, and I don't think they ever will. There's no-one like Reece. He's such a lovely man. Everyone says the same thing - I've never heard one bad word said about Reece."

Where's Tina's head at in the wake of the discovery of her father's body?
"She's just so confused that he's never been in touch because she's such a daddy's girl. Normally Joe speaks to Tina every single day without fail, so because he's not been in touch, her mind's racing. Joe always sends her a birthday message but when she received a text from him just on her birthday, she knew something was wrong. Then Tina received the flowers and that set alarm bells ringing in her mind, too."

Does she think there's something suspicious going on?
"Definitely. Tina knows that her dad would never do something as stupid as to kill himself, or even fake his own death. They had such a close relationship, so she knows that something happened for him to just stop making contact. The whole situation's taking her mind off his death, so she's not grieving at the minute. What she's doing is questioning everything: Why did Joe die? How did he die? When did he die? She's searching for answers."

What does Tina think has happened?
"Tina thinks it's murder, especially when the police keep dragging Gail in for questioning. There are always police on the Street now, so she knows something's amiss. Gail's also kept information back from Tina, too - and lied to her. Gail told Tina that Joe was working away, when really she knew that he'd planned to fake his own death. She's already questioning that and then when she found out that she sent the birthday text to her, her mind's in overdrive. She's totally confused and she can't even grieve for her dad."

Do you think Tina loves Jason?
"I do, yeah. Jason just isn't good for Tina at the minute. Jason thinks that Tina should get over Joe's death and move on with her life but Tina can't do that. They've got two different outlooks on life - Jason's very black and white, whereas Tina thinks things though a little more and is quite emotionally charged. They're exact opposites in that respect."

Do you think they're compatible in the long run?
"Tina out-grew David as she was the one who ended up looking after him. With Jason, he started off looking after Tina but she now looks after him, too. Jason's not got it in him to look after someone else - Tina needs someone who'll really look after her and put her first."

Who would be the ideal man for her?
"Probably Nick. He's a bit more grown up and I think Tina quite likes an older man. There's a scene when Tina was telling David to back off in the Street and Nick came over and warned his brother off her - she really liked that. Their kiss hasn't been forgotten, though… The truth always comes out!"

There have been on-screen flashes that Tina's feelings for David are still bubbling under the surface - is she softening towards him again?
"Yeah, I've noticed that, too. The writers wanted them to finally call a truce. David still cares a lot about her because she was his first girlfriend. I think there'll always be a rivalry between them - I'd actually like to see them back together, though. You can tell that David still really loves her, even now she's with Jason, he won't let anyone talk
bad about her."

There aren't any wedding bells, then?
"No, not that I know of! I'd love to get married in soap. I wouldn't care about the long days! It'd have to be a floaty dress, though, so I could eat and breathe out, instead of breathing in all day - it'd definitely have to be a baggy dress!"


Michelle Keegan on Tina's mum, Rita and The Rovers

What better way to spend your day off than on the phone to me? Michelle Keegan didn't mind, anyway - even though she's been working like a pack horse for the last few months.

She's turning out some sterling performances at the minute, though, opposite Helen Worth. Keep it up!

Are you surprised that we've not seen Tina's mother Anna (Susan Mitchell) through the Joe saga?
"We saw her last about a year and a half ago before Joe came in properly and we know that she and Tina don't really get on. It'd be really nice to explore Tina's relationship with her mum and to compare it with how she was with her dad."

Are you pleased that Barbara Knox is back at The Kabin?
"Yes! Something was definitely missing when I was in there without her. I've not actually had any scenes with her since she's been back but I've seen her in the green room a few times. I'm looking forward to getting back in the Kabin with her."

Would you not like to see Tina take her place in The Rovers hall of fame as a barmaid?
"Maybe. I could see her being a bit of a businesswoman more than that, though. I could see her running the factory. She's doing some property developing at the minute with Jason. She's definitely got her head screwed on the right way!"

Are you looking forward to Tracy Barlow's return? Do you think that Tina and Tracy could come to blows?
"I've not met Kate yet but everyone says nice things about her. I remember watching her before I joined Corrie, so it'll be a bit weird seeing her in the flesh! I think Tracy could have Tina - she'd be able to outwit her easily. Tracy's quite cunning, isn't she?! Tina says it how it is but Tracy would go around it the other way - she'd pretend to be your best friend and then stab you in the back."

[alan45]

Michelle Keegan has just been voted soap’s sexiest female. But away from the glamour, her co-stars and her legions of fans, the Coronation Street star has been nursing a secret heartache.

Her grandmother Beth Turner has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the silent ticking timebomb which she fears could run in the family.

As viewers watched her soap character Tina McIntyre struggle to come to terms with her father Joe’s death, no one knew that the tears she was shedding on screen were real.

“I’m not a big cry baby and I tried to push what was happening to Gran out of my mind when I was working,” explains an emotional Michelle

“I didn’t tell any of the Corrie cast because I want to be professional and just get on with the job.

“But when I had to cry for the cameras I only had to think about what was happening to her and I couldn’t stop the tears.”

Michell, 22, crowned Sexiest Female at the Soap Awards last Saturday, admits she’s worried she could be at risk of the killer disease, which is notoriously difficult to spot.

She’s leaving nothing to chance, and wants to encourage other women to get checked out, too.

“I’ve always been really careful about my health and went for my first smear when I was 20 because my mum happened to be going.

“The problem with ovarian cancer is there is no screening programme like there is for cervical cancer.

Scary

“What terrifies me is that ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer because you only get signs of the disease such as bloating and pain when it’s quite advanced.

“By the time my gran felt ill she was really bloated, felt sick and had lots of tests before it was identified.

“That’s why I don’t want to take any chances – scary as it is. I know you can have ultrasound scans and blood tests to check for ovarian cancer and I want to see my doctor about having these.”

Beth, 76 – who has four daughters, including Michelle’s mum – was diagnosed nine months ago and has just completed a gruelling course of chemotherapy.

Watching her go through the pain and discomfort was agonising for Michelle. “She lost her hair and with it her confidence,” she says.

“She was just so scared. It was so horrible to see her suffering.”

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK with around 6,600 diagnoses each year.

Most cases are down to gene changes which develop during a woman’s life and are not inherited. But, worryingly, about one in 10 are caused by an inherited faulty gene.

Michelle says: “It was such a massive shock when Gran was diagnosed. I panicked and thought she might die. I felt so sick when my mum rang to tell me. I just wanted to be with her.

“I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, but she didn’t want us to know what was happening.

“She is such a huge figure in our family. She’s half Spanish and always has her hair done and her nails done.

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“She is so strong and feisty. She is like the matriarch of the family. I couldn’t believe this was happening to her.”

Michelle has always been very close to Beth – she was the first person she rang after telling her parents she had landed the part of troubled shop girl Tina in the ITV1 soap two-and-a-half years ago.

She recalls: “She just started screaming. She has always been there for me, encouraging me, and has always told me to do what I want to do.”

Michelle has gone on to become one of the most popular young stars of Britain’s longest-running soap, winning critical acclaim for her spellbinding performances in some of the show’s biggest storylines. But away from the Street, boyfriend Bradley Howard has been at her side to help her through these difficult last few months. They’ve been together for more than two years and are devoted to each other.

And Bradley, an ex-model, doesn’t need to worry about Michelle’s gorgeous looks attracting unwanted attention from potential love rivals.

She laughs: “I can’t even remember the last time I was chatted up. If I have a night out with girlfriends, they might get guys coming up to them. But me? No. I think I got chatted up more before I joined the show actually. I don’t know why. Perhaps guys are scared of me and think I’m going to be feisty like Tina and get a mouthful if they talk to me.”

Michelle always turns heads when she walks down the red carpet in a designer gown. But when she’s not at glitzy events, it’s a different story.

“I’m actually not sexy. I don’t wear make-up, I live in tracksuits and most of the time I look an absolute mess,” she insists. “I’m not the sort of person who gets glammed up to go to the shops or puts make-up on when I get up.

“And the only time I wear heels and a dress is for a night out.”

Treated

Steely Michelle is now determined to use her family’s recent heartache over ovarian cancer to raise awareness.

Designer pal Vicky Martin, who styles her for a lot of her red carpet appearances, is helping, too. Michelle will wear one of her stunning dresses at a fashion show next month which will then be auctioned off in aid of The Christie Hospital in Manchester where her gran was treated.

Vicky created the dress in memory of local mum and client Jacqui Franks, 44, who died from the disease.

Talking about her death, Michelle’s eyes fill with tears. “Jacqui was a *beautiful, healthy young woman with two lovely sons when she was struck down with ovarian cancer,” she says.

“She really suffered during her battle and it was so awful to hear what happened to her.

“She had so much to live for. She’d been a dancer and fitness instructor. She was the last person you’d think would get cancer. But she did.”

Women who fear they are at risk can have an ultrasound scan which will detect if the ovaries are the right size, look normal in texture and whether there are any cysts. Apart from the odd cold, Michelle has always been healthy and hadn’t worried about her health before.

“There’s also never been any cancer in our family before so it just isn’t something that we’ve had to talk about,” she says.

“But the idea that you can have ovarian cancer without knowing it is what makes it so frightening.

“And that’s why I want to make sure I stay vigilant and raise awareness among women everywhere.

“I know that cancer doesn’t need to be a death sentence – but with ovarian cancer you need to know you’ve got it before it’s too late.”

[Perdita]

What has this got to do with her denying a romance with a co-star?

[alan45]

What has this got to do with her denying a romance with a co-star?

Absolutely nothing but I didnt see any point in starting yet another new thread about Michelle.

[Perdita]

Coronation Street producers will transform Tina McIntyre into one of the serial's flagship characters, according to reports.

The Sunday Mirror claims that actress Michelle Keegan will return to the programme after a month out to work in the Rovers Return.

“Some show bosses see Michelle as the new Bet Lynch and think she’s got a huge *future ahead of her," said an insider.

"She is young, gorgeous, a great actress and *hugely popular with viewers. They think she’ll be the sexiest barmaid in the history of the Rovers."

[alan45]

This is a much better idea than what they said a few months ago about making the useless Kym Marsh the star of the show.