Helen Flanagan has revealed the upsetting real-life impact her Coronation Street fame had on her when she was younger.
The star debuted as Rosie Webster on the ITV soap when she was a child, last appearing in the role in 2018, when she went on maternity leave.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Helen reflected on choosing a school for her daughter Matilda, sharing her own experiences of school and the bullying she suffered.
“Picking a secondary school for my little girl can be quite daunting because I remember I did struggle with a lot of bullying as well in my first school because I was on Coronation Street,” she said. “I’m naturally quite a soft person as well and I did really really get picked on.”
Helen revealed that it got so bad that her parents moved her to a private girls’ school, though she only ended up going half the time due to her Coronation Street commitments.
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“But I got extra support and I did tutors as well at Corrie,” the star added. “I had to be in education until I was 16 and had to do four hours a week.”
Opening up further about more positive memories of classes with castmates Brooke Vincent, Jack P Shepherd and Richard Fleeshman, Helen recalled: “I think I was the only one who was a bit of a geek out of the Corrie lot […] But I actually did quite like it.
“But because I got picked on an awful lot, this is now why as a mum, I worry. My little girl she is a sweetie and soft like me, but you don’t want to put your insecurities onto your children.”
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Related: Corrie legends reunite! Katherine Kelly shares sweet photo with her “favourite” former co-star
Meanwhile, Helen recently opened up about the possibility of returning to the cobbles, telling The Sun: “I can’t say too much, but it could be possible that I could go back.
“I get on with everyone there. There’s nothing personal going on. It changed my life so much and my loyalty is with them. I feel like Rosie’s a part of me.”
