Michelle Collins and John Michie join as Stella and Karl

[Perdita]

Former Coronation Street star Angela Griffin has defended Michelle Collins's attempts at a Northern accent.

Collins joined the ITV1 soap in June as Stella Price, but has since received criticism for her fake Northern accent.

Griffin defended her accent, telling the Sunday Mirror: "I think Michelle Collins is brilliant and a fabulous actress. I've heard her Northern accent and think it's ace!"

As for whether Griffin would ever return to the show as Fiona Middleton, she added: "I would never say no. I'd never turn down a job because I'm self-employed!"

Former Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay and current actress Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Collins's on-screen daughter Eva, have also insisted that there is nothing wrong with her Northern accent.

Producers are said to have handed Collins a last chance storyline to help viewers warm to Stella.

[tammyy2j]

I'm sick of hearing about "accentgate"

[alan45]

I'm sick of hearing about "accentgate"

It's just the ITV publicity machine trying their hardest to generate publicity for Michelle by almost daily dragging up people to say Michelles a wonderful actress and her rendition of a Mancunian accent is so good that even a native would have difficulty realising she wasn't a local. Every week there is some new story about how wonderful she is.

[alan45]

THIS is the moment Stella Price is mown down by drunk driver Carla Connor - leaving the Corrie landlady fighting for life.

Stella, played by Michelle Collins, is chasing after daughter Leanne (Jane Danson), when Carla careers round a corner after boozing at her engagement party - with fiance Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel) beside her.

A source said: "It's touch and go for Stella. Leanne is devastated.

[Perdita]

CORRIE'S Michelle Collins has defended Anne Hathaway's much-criticised Yorkshire accent in film One Day.

Ex-EastEnder Michelle suffered similar attacks on her northern accent as the 28-year-old American, when she first appeared as Rovers Return manager Stella Price.

Michelle, 50, told This Morning's Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes yesterday: "I felt really sorry for Anne Hathaway."

The actress whose character will be seen fighting for her life when she's mown down by drunk Carla Connor (Alison King) on tomorrow's Corrie, said criticism of her has died away.

She added: "It is fine now but it sort of means that I have to work twice as hard. I have a little dictaphone and I have to sort of do everything into it and listen back all the time.

"I think it's about people getting used to you. People knew me and this whole thing that I'd come from EastEnders, which actually was 15 years ago, and they know me as a southerner."

[alan45]

CORRIE'S Michelle Collins has defended Anne Hathaway's much-criticised Yorkshire accent in film One Day.

Ex-EastEnder Michelle suffered similar attacks on her northern accent when she first appeared as Rovers Return manager Stella Price.

And Michelle is such an expert at her Mancunian accent

[Glen1]

If Ms.Collins thinks criticism of her has died away she should log on to this site. It isn't just the accent and heaven knows that's rubbish it's the acting that's in the same category.I wouldn't worry too much about a dictaphone get yourself a voice coach and maybe a few lessons at drama school. Yes ,you are remembered from Eastenders nothing's changed much and only 15 years ago ,it seems like only yesterday. The only saving grace that with her next storyline confined to hospital bed she only has to lie there and if they push a few tubes down her throat we won't have to listen to her.

[alan45]

Why don't they just kill her off along with her family. They have failed and have NO redeeming features

[Chloe O'brien]

I don't understand why she had to try and do a Manchester accent, when in real life there are many people with different accents living in streets and town across the country. They should just have let her use her own accent. I think they are just trying to use this as a smoke screen to possibly get rid of Stella and co as soon as their contracts are up as her and her daughter have not made a great start to their corrie career

[layla]

Being born in Manchester. It dose not bother me that her accents not that good. Getting used to it now. The only thing, I am not getting used to is the daughter. She is rubbish and needs to go.