Michelle Collins and John Michie join as Stella and Karl

[Perdita]

Coronation Street's Karl Munro will become completely obsessed with Stella Price in a new storyline.

Stella actress Michelle Collins has let slip that Karl (John Michie) will turn "very sinister" as he attempts to find a way back into his ex-partner's affections.

Karl Munro was kicked out of the Rovers' Return after his affair with Sunita Alahan, who he later moved in with due to having nowhere to go.

"I've got loads of other good stuff coming up where my ex [Karl] gets very sinister and becomes totally obsessed with me," actress Collins told the Daily Record.

The 51-year-old soap star, who famously played Cindy Beale on EastEnders for 10 years between 1988 and 1998, remains upbeat about her decision to join Corrie.

"I never envisaged I'd be in Corrie. If someone had told me years ago, I'd have said, 'You're joking', but right now it's amazing and obviously the toy boy storyline is great fun," she added.

Magazine reports have claimed that Karl will follow Stella's new hunk boyfriend Jason Grimshaw.

[sarah c]

Coronation Street's Karl Munro will become completely obsessed with Stella Price in a new storyline.

Stella actress Michelle Collins has let slip that Karl (John Michie) will turn "very sinister" as he attempts to find a way back into his ex-partner's affections.

"I've got loads of other good stuff coming up where my ex [Karl] gets very sinister and becomes totally obsessed with me," actress Collins told the Daily Record.

Karl to burn down the Rovers then?

[parkerman]

Karl to burn down the Rovers then?

Let's hope he waits till he, Stella, Tracy, Rob and Michelle are all locked inside then....

[parkerman]

Karl to burn down the Rovers then?

Let's hope he waits till he, Stella, Tracy, Rob and Michelle are all locked inside then....

[sarah c]

Let's hope he waits till he, Stella, Tracy, Rob and Michelle are all locked inside then....

if Rob and Tracy are inside it will be an inferno in no time ....all that wood piled together...

[Chloe O'brien]

if Rob and Tracy are inside it will be an inferno in no time ....all that wood piled together...

Don't forget the dreadful Eve and spiteful Julie she is really getting on my nerves with the Tyrone and Kirsty storyling.

[Chloe O'brien]

if Rob and Tracy are inside it will be an inferno in no time ....all that wood piled together...

Don't forget the dreadful Eve and spiteful Julie she is really getting on my nerves with the Tyrone and Kirsty storyling.

[Perdita]

Corrie landlady Michelle Collins, 50, talks to The Sunday People's Take It Easy Magazine about her character Stella’s love interests, her critics and her battle to give up smoking


Michelle as landlady Stella
What’s it like being in Corrie after being on rival soap EastEnders for 16 years?

I do have to pinch myself sometimes, it’s very odd that I’m in Corrie. It’s not just another acting job it’s a national treasure, loved by millions.

You had a hard time in the beginning with critics, how did you feel?

It was difficult, I don’t think people were criticising me as an actress, it was because I am a southerner putting on a northern accent. I think people have got a bit bored of it now really, they are far more involved in Stella’s character than they are in Michelle Collins playing a northern person, so hopefully I’m doing something right. I’ve noticed a lot of the new cast members have had a bit of a hard time too recently, you’ve got to be tough. But as far as I can see I’ll be in Corrie for the foreseeable future.

Stella has caused a bit of a stir by getting together with Jason. How do you feel about being known as a cougar?

I hate that word! Well they’ve been together for quite a while now and everyone does think ‘what on earth is she doing, she’s old enough to be his mother!’ But luckily Stella is very much like ‘this is who I’m seeing, if you don’t like it you can lump it.’ She’s very brave. Most people have accepted it. It doesn’t go down too well with Eileen, Jason’s mum. Stella and her are about the same age.

And how does Stella’s ex Karl feel?

He hates the fact she is going out with Jason, he really can’t believe it. We all know what men are like, his ego has been damaged. He thinks, ‘What is she doing with him when she could have had me? Why would she want hamburger when she could have had steak?’

Do you think Stella will ever get back with Karl?

If you’d asked me a month ago I would have said no but stupidly I still think there is a little flame there that’s still flickering. When you’re in love with someone and someone cheats on you, initially you hate them and you’re angry but at the end of the day it’s difficult to stop loving someone you’ve loved so much. He is trying to woo her so we’ll see what happens. You never do know with Corrie.

What would you like to happen next for Stella?

I’d quite like to see her be a bit more fun. She was a bit too good for my liking when she first came into the show.

How do you spend your time when you’re not filming for Corrie?

I travel up to Manchester for Corrie, but my main house with my daughter Maia Rose is in London, so I don’t get much chill out time really. My favourite thing to do is just be at home with her and be a mum, or spend time with my friends. I’m really lucky because I’ve got a close set of friends. I have a rescue dog called Humphrey, who I just adore. He’s a puganise shih tzu. I would have him up in Manchester with me but my daughter would miss him too much. My weekends are so sacred, I like to do home stuff, the weekly shop, lots of things with Maia. I miss being a mum and not coming home at the end of the day. And I love the gym!


Is being fit and healthy important to you?

Oh yeah I think for my age I’m far fitter than some people half my age. I like keeping fit, I like myself to feel good. Not just because I work in TV and HD is horrible, you get to a certain age and you should just make an effort. I got to the gym three or four times a week for about 30 mins. I don’t go crazy like some people and stay for hours. We’re lucky enough to have a gym at work so I can go quickly before or in breaks. I was going to do the marathon last year but it didn’t happen because I was working so much, I just couldn’t train.

You gave up smoking recently, has that made you feel fitter?

Definitely. My skin is better, I have a lot more stamina and I think I’m far less stressed than I was when I was smoking. When you’re stressed you reach for a cigarette, but I think that has the opposite effect, it makes you more stressed. It’s funny because people spend loads of money on skin care and clothes to look good yet they’re still smoking. I did it myself, I’d been smoking all my life. A lot of women worry about their appearances but still smoke. It makes you look older and your breath stink, your teeth yellow. I think I look far healthier now than I did in my 30s and 40s.

What encouraged you to give up after so many years?

I’d been trying for years. I’d tried all the fads, like hypnotherapy. That didn’t work, I walked out and lit up a fag straight away. I was also sent on one of those courses where a guy bores the pants off you for three hours and make you smoke six zillion cigarettes so you never want to touch another one again. Until a month later of course. 18 months ago I did a play up north and wanted to be really healthy so I gave up drinking and smoking and then I got into Corrie. I thought I needed to be healthy to do this job so I went to a doctor to get some help.

You’re working with the campaign ‘Don’t go Cold Turkey’ which promotes seeking help from your doctor to quit smoking, was that an important thing for you?

Yes it was. You need to want to give up but just because you haven’t got the will power to give it up on your own you shouldn’t feel bad about having to go to the doctor to do it. It’s not easy to give up and the doctor can give you lots of options and it’s free. These days it’s not seen as ‘cool’ to smoke like it used to be. In the last couple of years I’ve also seen people die through smoking related illnesses and it’s horrible. I think people should get the help that’s available to them.

Michelle Collins is supporting the Don’t go Cold Turkey smoking cessation campaign as seeking help from a healthcare professional helped her finally quit her habit. For more information and support visit dgct.co.uk or call QUIT on 0800 00 22 55

[Perdita]

Corrie star John Michie has said that his character Karl Munro is 100% confident he can win back ex-partner Stella Price.

Karl becomes increasingly desperate to reunite with Stella (Michelle Collins) over the next few weeks, kidnapping her in his cab for an evening and also plotting against her new boyfriend Jason Grimshaw by torching his work van.

Michie told itv.com of his alter-ego's chances: "Karl's been trying really hard to get back with Stella, because he realises that she is the love of his life and everything with Sunita has gone pear-shaped. So he's just completely desperate - scarily desperate - to get back with her.

"Stella has got absolutely no interest in Karl whatsoever, so he's struggling, he's scrambling uphill to get to her. But he thinks that he'll get to her in the end, because Karl thinks he'll always get what he wants."

He continued: "Karl starts to do some pretty crazy stuff. It starts to get quite dark. He's a desperate man, he's losing everything, he's living in a bedsit, he doesn't have a home anymore - he hates that. He's going to get it back at whatever cost.

"You can expect a lot of drama from Karl Munro. He's a man on the edge of a precipice. He's a desperate, desperate guy."

With his van ruined thanks to Karl, Jason gives up on his career as a builder, but it's not all bad news as he moves into the Rovers Return to run the pub with Stella.

Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason, added: "Jason's determined to stick the knife in with Karl. He has a little word with him, making sure that Karl's aware that he knows he torched his van, but because of that, he and Stella are more solid than ever.

"He doesn't feel threatened by Karl but maybe he should, as the audience will see that this is far from over for Karl!"

Coronation Street continues tonight (March 4) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.

[Perdita]

Corrie's Stella Price and Karl Munro could be heading for a surprise reunion.

Michelle Collins and John Michie, who play the former couple, were spotted filming a shock kissing scene out on location today (March 6), The Sun reports.

Cast and crew have been working away from the studio today as Sunita Alahan's funeral is being filmed.

With Stella in a passionate embrace with Karl on the sad day, it remains to be seen whether she is really willing to take him back for good. The romantic moment also puts a question mark over the future of Stella's current romance with Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas).

Stella split from Karl last summer after discovering that he had been cheating on her with Sunita.

In recent weeks, however, Karl has become obsessed with winning back his ex - and it looks like his efforts may be about to pay off.

Sunita's death scenes will air within the next few weeks as she has been widely tipped to be killed off as part of the upcoming Rovers fire storyline.

Shobna Gulati, who played Sunita, announced her departure late last year and filmed her final scenes last week.