Perdita
27-07-2023, 06:59
https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a44651077/coronation-street-shelly-rossington/
Coronation Street has introduced a new character this month as part of Paul Foreman's Motor Neurone Disease (MND) storyline.
Shelly Rossington made her first appearance on the ITV soap last week, as Paul attended an MND support group.
Although a nervous Paul didn't stick around at the support group for too long, he later met Shelly again at the hospital and began to form a friendship. But what do we know about Shelly's future in the show and who plays her?
The role of Shelly is portrayed by Natalie Amber, who's not a soap newbie as she has previously guest starred in Casualty as Ella Thorndon. She has also appeared in Doctors, first in 2016 as Gemma Parnell and later in 2018 as Helen Shackleton.
Away from Soapland, Natalie has appeared in ITV's Paranoid and BBC dramas Silent Witness and Life, as well as several theatre roles.
Natalie announced her Corrie casting on Instagram last week, posting: "Shelly wheels into Weatherfield on tonight's Corrie #actorslife."
This content is imported from instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
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In a 2016 interview tying in with her role in Paranoid, Natalie opened up about how she became a wheelchair user after suffering a fall which changed her life. She'd been building her career as an actor and dancer in London at the time, but had to take a break from the industry for a few years after becoming disabled.
Natalie told The Bolton News: "I suppose I always viewed disabled people much like many do ? as a separate group generally unconnected to me.
"Now, I want to stop people pigeonholing them and instead view anyone with a disability as an individual, quite capable of doing anything ? like taking on a variety of acting roles ? because there are people with disabilities in all walks of life."
She went on to name Coronation Street star Cherylee Houston (Izzy Armstrong) as someone doing a "fantastic job in beginning to alter people's conceptions of how a disabled actress can be".
However, Natalie added: "But, with the exception of a couple of production companies and a few individuals, there are still very few roles for people with disabilities. And what there is tends to be very stereotyped."
Natalie is a member of Equity's Deaf and Disabled committee, which helps to develop representation of deaf and disabled performers on stage and screen.
Natalie's Corrie character Shelly has MND and has struck up a bond with Paul in recent episodes. When they first met at the MND support group, Shelly called out Paul for behaving awkwardly around her, but they started getting to know each other better in a later meeting at the hospital.
Wednesday's episode (July 26) sees Paul introduce Shelly to his mum Bernie Winter and fianc? Billy Mayhew.
Digital Spy understands that we'll see more of Shelly in the coming weeks as Paul's storyline continues to develop.
Coronation Street has introduced a new character this month as part of Paul Foreman's Motor Neurone Disease (MND) storyline.
Shelly Rossington made her first appearance on the ITV soap last week, as Paul attended an MND support group.
Although a nervous Paul didn't stick around at the support group for too long, he later met Shelly again at the hospital and began to form a friendship. But what do we know about Shelly's future in the show and who plays her?
The role of Shelly is portrayed by Natalie Amber, who's not a soap newbie as she has previously guest starred in Casualty as Ella Thorndon. She has also appeared in Doctors, first in 2016 as Gemma Parnell and later in 2018 as Helen Shackleton.
Away from Soapland, Natalie has appeared in ITV's Paranoid and BBC dramas Silent Witness and Life, as well as several theatre roles.
Natalie announced her Corrie casting on Instagram last week, posting: "Shelly wheels into Weatherfield on tonight's Corrie #actorslife."
This content is imported from instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
In a 2016 interview tying in with her role in Paranoid, Natalie opened up about how she became a wheelchair user after suffering a fall which changed her life. She'd been building her career as an actor and dancer in London at the time, but had to take a break from the industry for a few years after becoming disabled.
Natalie told The Bolton News: "I suppose I always viewed disabled people much like many do ? as a separate group generally unconnected to me.
"Now, I want to stop people pigeonholing them and instead view anyone with a disability as an individual, quite capable of doing anything ? like taking on a variety of acting roles ? because there are people with disabilities in all walks of life."
She went on to name Coronation Street star Cherylee Houston (Izzy Armstrong) as someone doing a "fantastic job in beginning to alter people's conceptions of how a disabled actress can be".
However, Natalie added: "But, with the exception of a couple of production companies and a few individuals, there are still very few roles for people with disabilities. And what there is tends to be very stereotyped."
Natalie is a member of Equity's Deaf and Disabled committee, which helps to develop representation of deaf and disabled performers on stage and screen.
Natalie's Corrie character Shelly has MND and has struck up a bond with Paul in recent episodes. When they first met at the MND support group, Shelly called out Paul for behaving awkwardly around her, but they started getting to know each other better in a later meeting at the hospital.
Wednesday's episode (July 26) sees Paul introduce Shelly to his mum Bernie Winter and fianc? Billy Mayhew.
Digital Spy understands that we'll see more of Shelly in the coming weeks as Paul's storyline continues to develop.