She has joined the ITV soap as Lou Michaelis, part of a new family described as ‘nightmare neightbours’
Coronation Street star Farrel Hegarty has shared how she ‘cried’ after finding out she got the role of one of Weatherfield’s newest arrivals.
She has joined the ITV soap as Lou Michaelis with the casting being announced earlier this month, It was revealed at the time that Lou and her husband Mick, played by Joe Layton, will be Weatherfield’s new ‘nightmare neighbours’ following on from the iconic Battersby clan back in 1997.
Farrel was seen making her debut in the role during Wednesday night’s (February 12) Corrie and Lou didn’t make her entrance quietly as she was seen giving Aadi Alahan grief over a purchase in the shop.
She was also seen immediately sparking up a friendship with Gemma Winter-Brown, with their connection quickly uncovered. The pair ended up recognising each other from Bessie Street School, where Gemma’s quads and Lou’s two young daughters attend, before sharing a drink in the Rovers Return.
But Lou’s other half Mick won’t appear on-screen until Friday (February 14), when the audience will be shocked to discover his true identity – the man with the silver van who has been harassing Chesney, who is none the wiser to who Mick really is, for months.
Speaking about joining Corrie and how life on the cobbles has been so far, Farrel said: “It’s been so much fun! We definitely come in hitting the ground running and it’s so nice to come in as a duo – it’s like having a partner in crime there. I think for us, we are thick as thieves and that adds to the relevance of the characters, so it’s been so much fun so far and I’m really grateful to be here.”
Recalling how she found out she’d been cast as Lou, the actress shared: “Yeah, I was working in a studio as a studio manager on the side of acting, so I’m glad I was at work because I had like 20 people who were around me at the time of waiting for the news. Everyone just kept asking me to let them know when I found out.
“I remember walking in and there were about six girls who gathered around me and it was such a lovely moment because there was so much support, I was crying – I’ve never physically shaken that much in my life, it was just a feeling of pure shock and joy.”
And she also had more information to share with Corrie fans about Lou. “At first, I didn’t know much about her or what she was going to be like because the screen test was quite heavy but obviously we have developed the characters a lot more since then,” she explained.
“Lou is definitely an exciting character to play because she’s got good and bad parts to her, she’s a life force and full of beans. She’s a very colourful character who likes to make waves and try to cause chaos. But she also has that strong family loyalty, especially between Mick and Lou, they are thick as thieves and will stick up for each other, even when they probably shouldn’t.”
But asked if she thinks she’d be friends with Lou in real life, Farrel was quick to admit: “No. No. Just no. I think she’s the sort of person you’d try and be friends with at school just so you don’t get on the wrong side of her, so you keep her at arms length and try to keep her sweet. She’s one of those people that if you catch her on the wrong day, you’ll get a smack in the toilets!”
