Christmas is one of actress Georgia Taylor's favourite times - but not when it takes place in springtime.

The actress, who made her name playing Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street, will make her first major TV appearance since leaving the soap in a one-off, Where The Heart Is Christmas special on Tuesday on ITV1.

And she found filming the nativity-inspired storyline, just four months after unwrapping her presents, a strange experience. "It was a bit weird," she laughs. "It was April and they'd dressed up the whole village with little Christmas trees and decorations. "I love Christmas, but not in April."

Georgia, 23, quit Corrie in February. But she didn't quite manage to leave behind the dramatic and traumatic storylines at the same time. During more than five years on Coronation Street, her character ran away from home, was kidnapped, later raped and had a succession of  bad relationships.

And the Where The Heart Is special, where she plays Jodie Walters, sees her pregnant, living rough and at odds with her father (played by Dennis Waterman), before giving birth in a barn.

"I suppose I'm quite used to getting the dowdy dramatic storylines now," she says with a smile. "I would be quite shocked if someone said, we're going to put rollers in your hair and give you lip gloss for this. "I'm more used to having dark shadows and having to make myself cry," she laughs.

But if filming the labour scenes took almost as long as giving birth in real life she says the experience was still oddly fun. "In a strange way, I quite enjoyed them, even if they were really exhausting. I've never given birth in real life so it was a new thing for me. And the baby I had was absolutely gorgeous as well.

"I've spoken about giving birth in the past with my mum. It's one of those conversations that comes up over a glass of wine." And as well as having a midwife on hand to offer advice, she also got some real-life experience from co-star, Lesley Dunlop, who plays Sister Anna Kirkwall and is a mother in real life.

"She was quite helpful, she'd say, oh no, you wouldn't have your head like that - if you did, your blood vessels would burst in your eye, and all this sort of stuff," Taylor says wryly.

Children are on the cards one day, she says, although she and her boyfriend, Mark Eyden, a musician with band The Jackdaws, have no plans to start a family just yet. "I definitely want kids one day but certainly not now."

The couple, who met in what the actress calls a dodgy nightclub in Stoke-on-Trent, have been together for three and a half years. "I wasn't expecting to meet anyone in there," she says. "I'd been there before, and thought, no, not in here."

Though they are blissfully happy, they have no wedding plans at present. "We're really happy together, really secure with each other. I don't feel like I need a ring on my finger now. I can't imagine being with anyone else at all."

The couple share a flat, which Georgia has been decorating. "On a soap you could work every day for a year. I'm just getting used to having time off between jobs. At first I was climbing the walls, oh my God, what do you do when you've got a week off? Now I quite enjoy it." But with roles in Red Cap and The Royal soon, she 
won't have too much free time on her hands.

icNewcastle 22/12/03

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Where The Heart Is Christmas Special

Things are pretty sentimental in Skelthwaite in a normal week, so you can expect some industrial strength cockle warming in this Christmas special. It features Dennis Waterman and former Corrie babe Georgia Taylor. She plays tough nut Jodie Walters who has a surprise for her dad when she comes home for Christmas - she's up the duff.

Georgia says that she was thrilled that Dennis was playing her onscreen dad. "He has such a great talent and career behind him. It was good for me to watch and learn from him." 

The role was Georgia's first job after playing Toyah Battersby in The Street. "I had thought about leaving Corrie for a year and wanted to get out there and try new things - I don't regret it," she says.

She's certainly done that. In fact, she's even found herself giving birth on screen twice so far - once in Where The Heart Is and once in BBC1's Redcap. She explains. "I gave birth on television twice in the space of 3 months. Viewers will begin to think I'm pregnant in real life!"

Daily Star TV Magazine 20/12/03

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Former Corrie star, Georgia Taylor, returns to our screens in a special seasonal episode of Where The Heart Is...

A festive episode of this drama sees a white Christmas celebrated in true Skelthwaite style. This one-off special features appearances from Dennis Waterman alongside former Coronation Street star, Georgia Taylor. The role of pregnant student, Jodie Walters, is Georgia's first major part since leaving the Street, and she soon found some differences between the back streets of Weatherfield and the country locations of Skelthwaite.

"Jodie ends up giving birth in a deserted barn, and the birth scenes were hard work to film - as there was a herd of cows next door!" recalls Georgia with a laugh. "Every time I started acting out the contractions and screaming, they would start mooing!"

Jodie's problems begin when she arrives home from university for Christmas and reveals to her dad, Mike - played by Dennis - that she's pregnant.

"It's all quite complicated," explains the actress. "The father of her baby, Rob, is the person her dad holds responsible for the recent death of Jodie's brother. So when Mike finds out about everything, he is furious and throws her out."

While there may be ructions on-screen, Georgia enjoyed every minute of her latest role. "It was really nice to do something different and I was really excited when I found out I was working with Dennis Waterman," she beams. "He's such a pro and we had a laugh, but he's quite convincing at being horrible! Working on a different set to Corrie was a bit like being at a new school. It was quite daunting and you didn't have the familiarity with the make-up girls and crew, but everyone make me feel welcome."

As well as Where The Heart Is, Georgia has also filmed an episode of the Sixties based drama, The Royal, and BBC1's Red Cap.

"I was in Corrie for a long time and I didn't want to jump straight into another long-running programme," explains the actress. "It has been nice to dip in and out of different things, but it would be great to do a new comedy. I definitely want to spend my first year out of Corrie doing as many different things as possible."

While Georgia is clearly enjoying the way her career is progressing, could rumours of Jane Danson's return as Leanne Battersby prompt Georgia to return to the soap?

"I definitely wouldn't rule out going back, but it would depend on my circumstances at the time and the storylines," says Georgia. "I think as long as Janice and Les are still in the Street, there is a reason for her to go back. She's only in London, but in soapland, that's another country! But I do think a spin-off series with Toyah and Spider in their wacky juice bar would be fab!"

Inside Soap Magazine - 20/12/03 - 02/01/04

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Former Corrie star Georgia Taylor gives a brilliant performance - as a Mum

There's a scene in the festive episode of ITV1's Where the Heart Is that you might be rather familiar with... a baby is born in a barn. 'Now, where did they get that idea from?' laughs Georgia Taylor, who guest stars as the new mum. 'You could say it's been done before - to say the least - but I suppose it's still quite clever.'

Georgia, 23, who is best known for her five years as Coronation Street's Toyah Battersby, plays pregnant 18-year-old Jodie, who's been sleeping rough. 'My first thought was, "Oh, I've got to do pregnancy and giving birth - I've never done that before", says Georgia. 'I look an absolute state in those scenes! I had glycerine, Vaseline and fake blood on my legs - I was just a big sticky mess for 12 hours. No one could come near me because they'd end up covered in all kinds of stuff!"

The other leading guest star is another very familiar face - Dennis Waterman, who plays Jodie's dad, Mike. He's distraught when he discovers that the father of her baby is also the person he blames for his son's death in a climbing accident.

Georgia, who lives with musician boyfriend, Mark Eyden, continues to watch Corrie and says she still has a huge affection for the show.

So should we be anticipating a Street comeback for Toyah? 'It's really difficult to say,' Georgia says. 'But I would never rule it out, as I did have a great time there.'

TV Times Double Christmas Issue 20/12/03 - 02/01/04

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Street's Toyah For Skelthwaite

A SPECIAL Christmas episode of ITV nursing drama Where The Heart Is will hit the screens on December 23. The series, filmed around Slaithwaite and Marsden, is currently off the air, but filming starts for the eighth series in January.

Minder star Dennis Waterman and Georgia Taylor - who played Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street - will star in the Christmas special, titled Archangel. Taylor will play young pregnant mum Jodie Walters.

She told how it had been a great experience to learn from Dennis Waterman when she joined the cast. Georgia said: "This was my first job out of Coronation Street and it was a bit daunting on the first day of filming. "I was made to feel very welcome at Where The Heart Is."

A white Christmas is ensured in Skelthwaite - thanks to an explosion at the toilet roll factory. Georgia Taylor's character Jodie is shown in the Christmas special returning from university to the delight of her dad Mike, played by Waterman.

Mike is bitter after the death of his son Matthew in a climbing accident, blaming himself for pushing his son to live up to his own sporting prowess. He is also blaming Matt's friend Rob for the tragedy. But Jodie's return does not bring good news. She has dropped out of university and has been living rough, too scared to go home and tell Mike she is pregnant - with Rob's baby. Sparks fly, but can her baby son's arrival - in a stable for the Christmas theme - bring a truce between the feuding family?

Georgia said she enjoyed being in Where The Heart Is. "The characters I have played have generally been good souls. "I would love to be a baddie. I'd also love to do comedy," she confessed. Georgia has played two pregnant women in just 12 months, having also appeared in the role of a war widow in the new series of Redcap.

The December 23 Where The Heart Is will be on ITV at 9pm.

Katie Campling The Huddersfield Daily Examiner 29/11/03

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Steve Pratt talks to Georgia Taylor about putting the accent on changing characters from Toyah in Coronation Street to a Geordie club owner in Tyne Tees Television's showing of Ipso Facto's comedy pilot show Girls' Club

Former soap actress Georgia Taylor knew exactly where to turn for advice when she was cast as a Geordie in the new Tyne Tees Television production Girls' Club. She consulted her Coronation Street co-star Angela Lonsdale, who plays policewoman Emma Watts and who comes from the North-East. She was able to give Georgia valuable tips of adopting the regional accent.

"She helped me a lot," says the actress, who spent five-and-a-half years in Weatherfield as Toyah Battersby. "I didn't have any professional help, much as I would have liked it, because we didn't have much time. It was challenging and I don't claim to be perfect."

The half-hour comedy, made by Newcastle-based production company Ipso Facto, opens a season of pilot programmes under the umbrella title The Hothouse. The series is designed to showcase writers, directors and actors in the region. Tyne Tees has co-financed the £225,000 project with Northern Film and Media, with support from One NorthEast.

Taylor joins local actresses Jessica Johnson and Lucy Blackie as a trio of twentysomething Geordie girls in dead end job and relationships who take over the running of a struggling Newcastle nightclub. This role marks her first TV appearance since leaving the soap, and reunited her with Street director Ian Bevitt.

She had no fixed plans when she left, although she did have a new London agent. "It was like starting again," she says. "Leaving was just something that felt very natural and I felt the time was right. You can't plan and say, 'I want to do this and do that' in acting because you don't know what's going to happen."

She found the accent the most difficult part of her Girls' Club role. "It's hard, I think, trying to play a new character and then, on top of that, have to worry about something, an accent, that no one else has to worry about. I'm very lucky they took a chance on me," she says.

Taylor is realistic about the business, knowing that the really good stuff you have to work for. She doesn't expect new parts to just fall in her lap. "I was very young and at school, and doing youth theatre groups, and no one could ever predict you would get Coronation Street," she says. "I just took it in my stride. I was so busy trying to concentrate on learning that it just washed over me."

She still watches the Street when she's at home, saying: "I love it". She's less keen on watching herself on screen, arranging to see Girls' Club for the first time at a private afternoon screening before the official launch. "I wanted to watch it on my own because it makes me nervous," she says.

She has filmed another TV role since leaving the Street - a guest role in a forthcoming special Christmas edition of ITV's Where The Heart Is, playing "a very pregnant person".

Now she's getting used to being a jobbing actress again, going to interviews and auditions, and waiting for the next offer to come along. "I'll just see what happens," says Taylor.

The writer of Girls' Club, David Young, may come from Glasgow but is a great champion of the North-East, where he settled with his American wife after living in New York and Los Angeles. He hopes that Girls' Club - which he describes as a working class, Newcastle take on Sex And The City - will be turned into a series. "I'll regard it as a success if it's picked up," he says. "That's what we desperately need in Newcastle. It's pretty shameful that we don't have more film and TV production here.

"We have the talent, but if we don't have a couple of returning series, we lose people to Manchester, Liverpool and London."

The idea for Girls' Club was one that he'd been mulling over for some time. "There's very little being done about young women," he says. "There's a lot about young men. We've had Trainspotting and Lock Stock, all the macho stuff, but nothing reflecting working class women. I wanted to do it in a way that was entertaining for a mainstream audience."

As a man, he didn't have any problems reflecting the lives of twentysomething Geordie women. "All you need to do as a writer is walk around Newcastle on a Friday night for ten minutes to get some idea of what's happening," he says. "I think we've created characters that can generate stories. We already have plans for what stories we'll tell if the series happens."

Until last year he was writing for Channel 4's Brookside, before leaving to pursue his own projects. He moved to Newcastle from the US initially because of possible work. "I knew nothing about Newcastle before I came for the job interview. It's a fantastic area because you have everything you want here."

thisisthenortheast.co.uk 17/07/03

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Georgia's Sit-com is Premiered

It's called Girl's Club and that couldn't have done more to sum up the mood of three young actresses on Tyneside last night.

Local girls Jessica Johnson, Lucy Blackie and former Coronation Street regular, Georgia Taylor were in playful mood for a female party after getting together for the small screen premier of their latest project. "It's Charva's Angels," they shouted before causing mass confusion at City Road's Egypt Cottage pub when they poked a trio of heads through the window and joined in with a karaoke rendition of Abba's Waterloo.

The reason for the gathering was Girl's Club, a half-hour comedy drama which sees the girls taking their destiny into their own hands when they decide to take over an ailing Tyneside nightclub. Set and shot in and around Newcastle, it is one of eight dramas and documentaries being screened on ITV1 in the North-East for the Hothouse series - hoping to prompt network commissioners to sign up the ideas for long term series.

The first show is by Newcastle production company Ipso Facto, also responsible for School For Seduction, the film starring Kelly Brook which plucked Jessica, 20, from Gateshead, from obscurity and will place her on the big screen next spring. She said: "I haven't stopped since we finished filming School, and I'm not complaining. Bring it on. The producers approached me - get that! - to take this role and I was really happy to do it. "We filmed the whole thing in six days, which was totally mad and was such a culture shock from doing the film."

It was a sentiment shared by thespian newcomer Lucy Blackie, 19, from Fenham, Newcastle, drafted in at the last minute for a role in the programme which will be screened later this month. She said: "David (Young, the writer) suggested me when someone pulled out and they offered me the part. "I had just finished a foundation course in fashion design and had just heard I had got a place at Northumbria University, so you could 
say it was a very good week.

"It would be fantastic if it got signed up to become a series. I was always a bit sceptical about acting as a career but I didn't have to go through any horrible stuff to get this part. I loved it."

Mother-of-two Jessica had experienced the comings and goings of film making but said she hadn't been a source of advice for Lucy. She laughed: "No way, she's competition for jobs! Anyway, she was brilliant - she didn't need any help. "I'm not sure what I'm doing next. Obviously it would be fantastic if Girl's Club went to a series - other than that, I've got some meetings lined up so we'll see. "The kids are great and are just getting to used to everything that has happened ... let's just hope it all continues."

Co-funded by Tyne Tees Television, Northern Film and Media and One North-East, the £225,000 Hothouse series includes a documentary on Mike Tyson, a comedy by Live Theatre writer Julia Darling and an animation featuring former Starsky and Hutch actor, David Soul.Graeme Thompson, controller of programmes at Tyne Tees said: "This is one of the most ambitious projects in British television. We've brought together writers, animators, directors, actors, technicians and North-East production companies to create eight weeks of unique 
television."

icNewcastle.co.uk 16/07/03

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Georgia Films Tyneside Sit-Com Pilot

Former Corrie favourite Georgia Taylor is to star in a new Tyneside sitcom said to be a cross between Sex and the City and Get Garter. And Georgia, Toyah Battersby in the Street, is being taught how to speak with a Tyneside accent by fellow soap star, Geordie Angela Lonsdale, who plays Curly Watts' wife Emma.

The pilot for the show, under the working title Girls Club, will be filmed in Newcastle for Tyne Tees and may be turned into a long-running series for ITV.

Ipso Facto films will begin filming at the end of the month for the episode about the lives and loves of three Geordie lasses.Producer Steve Bowden said: "It's about a group of girls, one of whom works in a nightclub that is not very successful. "They have to pull together to stop the club from being closed down. But the show is also about their personal lives."

Georgia, said: "This is the first time I have been to Newcastle so I'm looking forward to spending the week filming to see the area. "It's about the girls' friendship more than Newcastle. It's about them all pulling together and knowing there's something better."

"I have to speak with a Geordie accent so I've been speaking into a dictaphone to practice. Angela Lonsdale has been helping."

Jessica Johnson and Daymon Britton, stars of Ipso Facto's latest film School For Seduction which featured Kelly Brook, will also be in the series. Jessica, said: "It's really nice to work in the area where I'm from. I am really excited to work on this."

Director Ian Bevitt said: "This is like Sex and the City meets Get Carter. It has the central group of three strong women characters and it's about their lives. "

icNewcastle.co.uk 12/06/03

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TWO Top Actors Will Boost the first Christmas Special of "Where The Heart Is"

Dennis Waterman and Georgia Taylor have been in the Colne Valley filming key scenes for the show, set in the fictional Skelthwaite.

They play father and daughter in a gripping, emotional storyline.

Dennis, who made his name in The Sweeney and Minder, and Georgia - best known as Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street - are among several well-known faces to appear in the hit series this year.

Josie Lawrence, Leslie Philips and Denise Black also star in single episodes of the seventh series, due to be screened from mid-July.

Georgia plays a student who gets pregnant - and can't bear to tell her dad.

The cast have been filming the series - and the Christmas special - on location since last October.

They finished their time on location this week.

The Christmas special - involving scenes in Barthlomew's Church, Marsden - is the first stand-alone, 90-minute episode in the show's history.

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner 19/04/2003

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Ex-Coronation Street actress Georgia Taylor talks about the transformations to her diet, lifestyle and waistline that left her feeling better about herself and ready to try new career challenges

Petite Georgia Taylor, 23, is even tinier in real life than she looks on screen. And when you meet her, it's hard to imagine her as the 2st-heavier teenager who first appeared as Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street. As well as scooping up acting awards and critical acclaim ever since, Georgia has managed a personal goal and dropped from a size 12 to an 8. She took the time to tell us why and how...

What sparked your decision to lose weight?

I was never huge - a normal size 12 - but because I had a chubby face, I just didn't carry it well. I've got friends who are size 16 and look amazing, but I was bottom heavy and it didn't suit me. I'd been on and off diets for as long as I can remember - like most teenage girls. But it wasn't until I got older that my attitude towards food matured.

Did you follow one of the popular diets?

I've never gone in for the Atkins diet or any of those faddy plans. I think it's unhealthy to cut out whole food groups. I just tried to be sensible about it. Part of my problem was that there wasn't any routine to my meals. I'd grab fast food on the run and eat the big catered dinners on the Corrie set every day. When you're busy, you can eat so much without realising it.

So how did your diet change?

I started going home for dinner and most days I'd have cereal for breakfast and a chicken breast and jacket potato with vegetables for tea. During the day, I'd snack on yogurt and fruit.

Have you relaxed a bit now?

I have weeks when I eat rubbish, especially if I'm really busy at work. Life's too short to be making some fancy stir-fry or salad when you're tired. Sometimes I'll have a pizza, but I compensate the day after. I cut down on chocolate when I was losing weight and since then I've lost my sweet tooth. My real downfall now is starchy carbs like chips and bread.

Are you a real Nigella in the kitchen these days?

I don't cook that often and eat out a lot - that's one of my luxuries. I love going out for a nice meal more than going on a bender or dancing. I'll eat dessert if I'm out somewhere nice because it's a shame not to. But then I just eat less the next day.

So you didn't get any expert help?

No, I didn't see a nutritionist. I just used my head and tried to follow all the healthy eating advice that we all hear. I cut down on calories and saturated fats and just ate more vegetables, fish and chicken. The weight came off steadily - 2lb each week - until I'd lost 2st. And give and take a couple of pounds, I've stayed that weight ever since. These days I'm 5ft 5in and 8st.

Did you exercise?

Yes - and I think that's the reason I lost weight so quickly. I'm rubbish at sport and swimming is the only thing I'm good at and enjoy. So I swam 50 lengths a day after work, seven days a week at my local gym. The weight just dropped off, but the chlorine was drying my hair and skin, so now I try to go to the gym two or three times a week and do cycling or cross-training. 

Like most people, I have a few weeks where I'll be lazy and not go, but then I get back into it again and it balances out.

Do you like outdoor sports?

I love cycling. My boyfriend (musician Mark Eyden) and I went to Ibiza last September and we hired bikes for a day. After 5 hours, it still didn't seem like exercise. We were tired, but the sun was out and there was a lovely breeze. If I ever get a place in the country, I'll definitely get a bike.

Have you ever thought of getting a personal trainer?

To be honest, I think it might annoy me having someone telling me what to do. I'm quite disciplined on my own. But I'd love maybe just one session with an expert who can tell me exactly how to target specific areas because I'm sure I don't always do the right things.

Does Mark join you at the gym?

No, I prefer to just get down to it and exercise on my own. I've been swimming with friends before and it distracts me because I want to chat.

Are you into alternative therapies?

I'm not really into anything alternative, but I did recently go with a friend for an aromatherapy facial, which was gorgeous.

Do you have a regular beauty routine?

I use Boots Cucumber Skin Wipes. They're cheap and easy, but refreshing. I've been through all of the expensive moisturisers, but the best one for my skin is Nivea All Day Aqua. And I use Nivea Soft on my body. It comes in a great big tub and it's lovely.

Sunbeds or fake tan?

I'm really fair-skinned and have freckles, but I cover them up with fake tan. I use Lancome Flash Bronzer Mousse in Golden, which doesn't look too dramatic on light skin. It only takes me 20 minutes to put it on at night.

I'm sorry to say I've used sunbeds in the past, but I don't like them.

Do you have any vices?

Smoking - and I know it's not good. I'm not a big drinker, my favourite is vodka and slimline tonic, but I like a half-pint of proper beer as a treat.

As an actress, do you feel pressure to be slim?

Seeing yourself on TV does make you think more about your figure. You get to look at yourself from angles you wouldn't normally see.

As an actress in the UK, you can get away with being all shapes and sizes, but it must be more difficult for pop stars and models. I've always said that when I lost weight, it wasn't because I felt pressure from anyone else, such as my work bosses. Even if I didn't work in this industry, I'd still go on diets and be worried about my figure.

Are you happy with your figure right now?

Not completely. What woman ever is? I don't want to lose more weight, but I'd like to tone up a bit more - since Christmas everything has started to jiggle a bit again. But I'm certainly a lot confident than I was a few years back.

What's the best health tip you're ever had?

Just listen to your body. It's really good at telling you what it needs. If you've been on a really strict diet and you're craving chocolate, then maybe it's best just to have a little piece, because you're obviously in need of the sugar.

Now Star Diet and Fitness Spring 2003 (Click to Enlarge Pictures)

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Georgia and Jenny Spotted on a Spending Spree.

Corrie girls Georgia Taylor and Jenny McAlpine proved to the world they are best of pals both ON and OFF screen as they went for a spot of retail therapy.

The pair were snapped with their arms entwined during a shopping trip in Manchester.

And Pretty Georgia, recently left Weatherfield after playing troubled Toyah Battersby for five years, dragged her best pal Jenni (feisty knicker stitcher Fizz Brown) round Selfridges.

They giggled out loud and wrapped their arms around each other, then strolled off for a drink in a nearby trendy bar.

Wearing a brown peaked cap and tight dark blue jeans, Georgia, 22 showed off her svelt new figure after she has recently lost two stone in weight.

Jenni, 20, was said to be gutted when Georgia left the soap in February to pursue a career in the theatre, and the twosome are regularly spotted enjoying each other's company.

Cavendish Press 27/03/03 (Click to Enlarge Pictures)

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Day Two of Daily Mirror Exclusive

MOUTHY Coronation Street disaster magnet Toyah Battersby has suffered more than her fair share of heartbreak. The distraught student left Weatherfield last week after five troubled years during which she was the victim of a shocking rape and found out that her lecturer boyfriend had slept with her flatmate.

But actress Georgia Taylor can thank her lucky stars that her own life is very different from her character's harrowing existence. She is in love and settled with the man she wants to marry.

And she credits musician boyfriend Mark Eyden with giving her the confidence to go through with the decision to leave the show. He was the only person she confided in when she first thought about quitting a year ago. "Having that support makes everything that much easier," she says.

"I'm really ambitious, but if someone said to me: `You can lose Mark and never see him again or you can have a brilliant career' I wouldn't even think about it. It puts everything in perspective. He means everything to me."

The couple met almost three years ago and it wasn't long before Mark, 22, who plays in a band called The Jackdaws, moved into her Manchester flat. Georgia, also 22, says: "We were introduced by chance in a nightclub and I thought he was beautiful. I thought someone that gorgeous would be an absolute swine but he wasn't - it was amazing.

"He was quite shy, but there was an immediate attraction and I realised within weeks that I was in love.

"He's unlike anyone I've ever met, yet if you'd asked me at 15 to describe my ideal man he would fit every single criteria. I adore dark, rugged, manly guys - I don't really go for that clean-shaven, waxed-chest look. "He's also really creative and talented and like me he's a bit of a perfectionist. He makes me laugh and feel very protected.

"It's not a question of if we'll get married but when, although we've not actually sat down and discussed the details. It will happen one day, but we're not in any rush."

The couple have also talked about starting a family. Georgia says: "When I was at school I was really ambitious and thought that I didn't want a man or a baby, but I think when you are in love with someone you start to think differently. NOW I'm always banging on about feeling broody. I want to concentrate on my career at the moment, but I definitely want children one day.

"I love babies, which is why I recently got two cats, because I needed something to mother. In five years' time I would like to be living in a nice house with Mark and have a CV behind me that includes some interesting jobs."

She knows it's time she got her teeth into some unToyah-like roles.

"Toyah has got on my nerves at times because she could be so naive, but I'm quite protective of her," says Georgia. "She has a very romantic view of love and falls in love very easily, but she's a bit too trusting and never seems to be in control in her relationships.

"I used to wish she could be a bit more clued up sometimes. I'd open the script and read what she was doing next and think: `Why are you being so stupid?'

"At the same time she's a very decent person and she is very loyal to her friends. I'd like to think I was like that, too, but hopefully that's where the similarities stop." Now she's looking to the future.

"I'm excited rather than scared," she says. "I've only had one wobbly day, when I was in the flat on my own all day. I started thinking: `Am I going to be all right?' and looking around the flat and thinking how much I liked it, hoping that I would still be able to afford to live there. Luckily it was a one-off and I feel fine now. I'm really looking forward to the future."

She would love to star in a TV drama, films or theatre, but she has turned down an offer to be in the next series of I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here. "I'm not sure it would bring out the best in me," she admits. "I'm generally quite non-confrontational, but if someone got on my nerves in that environment I think I'd flip out."

SHE is also adamant that she will not follow in the footsteps of Corrie co-star Tracy Shaw, currently appearing naked in the stage play The Blue Room. Georgia says firmly: "If that had been offered to me I wouldn't have taken it. I'm just not comfortable with nudity. I don't turn up at premieres in revealing dresses - in fact, I think I've only been to one premiere in my life. "For me, being naked is a very private and personal thing and the only person I'm happy to see me naked is Mark."

When Georgia joined Coronation Street in 1997 it was as a chubby, sulky teenager. Today, she is sleek, attractive and two stones lighter. "Some people assume it was puppy fat that just melted off me, but it was sheer hard work," she says. "I swam 50 lengths a day and cut out fatty foods.

"Because I have a chubby face I don't carry weight well. Being on television makes you look even bigger, and, playing Toyah, I didn't get to wear the most flattering clothes, so when I was 18 I decided I wanted to look and feel a bit better. I was around 10 stone and a size 12-14, but over the course of two years I went down to a size 8-10."

Unlike others who have joined soaps at a young age and gone off the rails, Georgia remains refreshingly down-to-earth. She doesn't like champagne and prefers quiet nights in with her friends to showbiz parties.

She says: "I believe some people have addictive personalities, and having the money and fame and opportunity makes it easier for them to go down that road and maybe brings things to the fore. "But I have never found it that hard growing up in the spotlight. It's all been great fun."

Daily Mirror Serialisation Part Two 11/02/03

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EXCLUSIVE - Georgia Tells Why She's Leaving Corrie

GEORGIA Taylor, like her alter-ego Toyah Battersby, has reached the end of her tether. Since joining Coronation Street as the loud-mouthed younger daughter of the family from hell, she has suffered five years of broken hearts, an horrific rape and the nightmare of discovering who had committed the crime.

In emotional scenes on Wednesday night, viewers saw Toyah finally quit the Street after deciding she could take no more heartache, following her discovery that her lecturer boyfriend John had made her flatmate Maria pregnant. And speaking exclusively to The Daily Mirror, 22-year-old Georgia admits her own reasons for walking out are not dissimilar.

"I really felt I'd gone as far as I could with Toyah and, if I'm honest, I was starting to get a bit frustrated," she explains. "I remember in the first few years I was so dedicated to learning and I'd always worked really hard, but I suppose the passion and the zest I had for Toyah gradually disappeared. "It wasn't anybody's fault. "I just wasn't destined to play the same part for the rest of my life. I wasn't as happy in my work as I had been and in my heart of hearts, I knew I had to go.

"Also, I felt that I'd had my turn and I probably wasn't going to get it again. New people were coming in, such as Samia Ghadie who plays Maria and Jennie McAlpine who plays Fiz and it felt fair that it was their turn now. I've had a fantastic time but for the past couple of years I've been watching period dramas and comedies such as The Office and thought, 'I'd love that part. I'd love to have been able to audition for that'."

Georgia's moving portrayal of Toyah's traumatic rape won her a British Soap Award in 2001, but ironically she believes the gripping drama also signaled the beginning of the end for her character. "I felt I was never going to top that and, of course, it changed Toyah's character," she explains.

"I would never take back the dramatic storylines I've had, but the repercussions of her rape were that the writers took her in a direction which meant there was always going to be this emotional shadow hanging over her. "I know that can be the case for some people who are raped, but a lot of people do pick themselves up and dust themselves off. Maybe part of me wished that they could do that with Toyah and get a bit of that old life back into her.

"She completely lost her spark. But I'm not complaining about the writers because, if I'm honest, maybe I lost a little bit of mine as well. Maybe I just couldn't get that old spark back into her because I'd had enough of playing her." 

Georgia joined Coronation Street as 15-year-old Toyah when she was only 17. A few months earlier she had auditioned for the part of tearaway Zoe Tattersall, but missed out on the part. She became hooked on acting after taking part in school plays and joined a local theatre group in her home town of  Wigan, Lancashire. She was studying for her A-levels when her drama coach got her an audition for the part of the younger daughter of Les and Janice Battersby.

"It was only the third audition I'd ever been for and I was completely overwhelmed. But it was something for my mum to tell the neighbours so I went for it and to my amazement I got the part," she recalls.

Georgia's mum Caroline, a housewife, her financial adviser dad Geoff and her 20-year-old brother David - who is currently travelling in Australia - are all immensely proud of her amazing success, even though she no longer shares the same surname.

When Georgia joined Coronation Street she was told that another actress was already registered her real name of Claire Jackson with Equity, so she would need to choose something else. She says: "I went to a book shop with a male friend of mine and we bought this book of baby names. "We were both really young and stood at the counter waiting to pay for it while pretending I was pregnant. "We both kept talking about the baby and rubbing my stomach. We thought it was really funny but I'm sure nobody paid us the slightest bit of notice.

"I picked the name Georgia at random and I chose the surname Taylor in memory of my grandad who had died a few months earlier. "It was sad that he never lived to see me make it in Coronation Street, so it seemed like a really fitting tribute. I know he would have been really proud of everything I've done."

Although she has left the show, Georgia says she will always keep in touch with some of the close friends she has made in the cast, including Samia Ghadie, Jennie McAlpine, Bruce Jones who plays her screen dad Les and Vicky Entwistle who plays her mum Janice.

She says: "I know it sounds like a cliché, but Coronation Street really is one big happy family and leaving behind everyone was hard, but I know I will always keep in touch with my friends there. "And because of the way Toyah has been written out I guess there is always the chance that she could return one day."

Daily Mirror Serialisation Part One 10/02/03

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Georgia will take lots of memories with her from the Street

FUNNIEST MOMENT

When Toyah was younger and a bit of a rebel she went to a party, got drunk and was sick. They didn't want to show it happening, so they took a tin of chunky vegetable soup and glued a bit to the side of my mouth and poured the rest down the shirt of Bruce Jones who plays Les. He went ape. He complained that it was cold and smelt terrible and was making him feel sick. He was a real drama queen, it was hysterical.

WORST MOMENT

My first photocall in 1997 was terrifying and I remember thinking "What have I let myself in for?" I felt exposed and uncomfortable because I was wearing tiny shorts and clumpy trainers. All the photographers were shouting and I still felt like a child. It was horrific, I didn't like it at all.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT

When I first played Toyah she had this school skirt which was very short - I'm sure they took it up! In one episode I was handcuffed to the banister with Spider. I had to bend over and I was curvier then with a bigger bum and when I watched it on television I was convinced you could see my knickers.

STRANGEST MOMENT

I've had to snog a few people on the show, but in real life you never see yourself kiss and I'm always horrified when I see myself on television. I think "Is that really what I look like when I kiss? Thank God the person I'm kissing has their eyes shut, because if they could see what I looked like they'd be repulsed."

PROUDEST MOMENT

People responded well in the aftermath of the rape, which was nice, but I'm quite proud of my exit and my break-up with John this week. I cried for real and snot from my nose landed on his shirt. I was so apologetic afterwards.

Daily Mirror 10/02/03 

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Georgia raises money for Rape Charity.

CORRIE star Georgia Taylor yesterday told how she wanted her character to be beaten to death by serial killer Richard Hillman. Viewers saw Toyah Battersby leave last week when she and “Spider” Nugent headed off for a new life. But actress Georgia, 22, said: “I really tried to persuade the producer to make me a victim of the killer. The Richard storyline is so good I wanted to be a part of it.”

Georgia was involved in one of the Street’s most harrowing plots two years ago - when Toyah was raped in an alley. The actress prepared for the storyline with the help of Manchester Rape Crisis. Now she has raised £450 for the group by asking fans at a store opening to make a donation in return for her autograph.

Footnote: Georgia presented the donations she helped raise for the St Mary's Centre at their annual conference on the 31st January.
The Sun 10/02/03 

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Georgia Taylor, who played Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street says she had become frustrated with the role.

Toyah left the soap after discovering that her lecturer boyfriend John (Paul Warriner) had made her flatmate Maria Sutherland (Samia Ghadie) pregnant. 

Toyah decided she couldn't take any more heartache. 

Georgia said: "I really felt I'd gone as far as I could with Toyah and, if I'm honest, I was starting to get a bit frustrated. "I remember in the first few years I was so dedicated to learning and I'd always worked really hard, but I suppose the passion and the zest I had for Toyah gradually disappeared. It wasn't anybody's fault." 

Georgia's portrayal of Toyah's traumatic rape won her a British Soap Award in 2001. Georgia believes this gripping drama was the beginning of the end for her character. 

She added: "I felt I was never going to top that and, of-course, it changed Toyah's character.I would never take back the dramatic storylines I've had, but the repercussions of her rape were that the writers took her in a direction which meant there was always going to be this emotional shadow hanging over her."

She completely lost her spark. But I'm not complaining about the writers because if I'm honest, maybe I lost a little bit of mine as well. Maybe I just couldn't get that old spark back because I'd had enough of playing her."

BBC Pure Soap News 10/02/03 

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Georgia's former flatmate speaks on her Street Departure.

Joanne lives in Derbyshire with club DJ fiancé Phil, but still keeps in touch with the friends she met while working in Manchester, including former flatmate Georgia Taylor, who plays the about to depart Toyah Battersby. "Georgia told me she was nervous about it but I said it was probably the right thing for her to do. She's been in it for five years and she's very talented - there's a lot more she obviously wants to do."

Extract From Manchester Evening News 30th January 2003

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Georgia Taylor is quitting Coronation Street and looking forward to some meatier roles which allow her to swear

She came into Weatherfield as wild child Toyah Battersby, part of Coronation Street's infamous family from hell, and subsequently lost her virginity in the back of a car, fell in love with an eco-warrior and survived a harrowing rape.

So, when it came to being written out, actress Georgia Taylor reckoned there was only one thing that could top those storylines: she wanted Toyah to go out in a trail of blood and gore.

 "I begged the producers to let Richard kill me," grinned Georgia, referring to The Street's resident serial killer Richard "Tricky Dicky" Hillman. "Then I'd go down in Corrie's history as one of his victims." Richard, played by Brian Capron, has already killed three victims - his business partner Dougie, ex-wife Patricia and Maxine Peacock. Georgia, 22, was hoping to be victim number four.

But producers granted Toyah a reprieve. Instead she'll be leaving in the back of a van driven by her ex-flame Spider (Martin Hancock) on 5 February. Unlike her former co-star Tracy Shaw, who was 'killed off' two and a half weeks ago, Corrie bosses have left the door open for a possible return.

"I'm going out, not with a bang or a whimper, but somewhere in between," Georgia says. "With hindsight, if I'd been killed by Richard I wouldn't have had such a challenging storyline to go out with. Now Toyah can come back - it's not something I'd rule out. I decided a year ago that I wanted to leave, but kept it to myself. I didn't want anyone trying to influence me. I'd just had my best year in the soap.

While she was elated to win a British Soap Award in 2001 for Toyah's dramatic rape scenes, the comedown was such that Georgia, who joined the soap in 1997, didn't think there was anywhere for her character to go.

"I thought: 'I'm never going to top that.' Any further traumatic storylines would've have dragged Toyah down, made her introverted and not much fun to play. I was getting frustrated at playing the same character. I'd had enough of playing Toyah."

Viewers will see Toyah confront her cheating older boyfriend John when she discovers that he's the father of her best friend Maria's baby. While Toyah feels betrayed by Maria, the actress who plays her, Samia Ghadie, is one of Georgia's best pals, along with Angela Lonsdale (Emma) and Jennie McAlpine (Fiz).

They all surprised Georgia when she was filming her final scenes to give her a leaving gift. "They'd named a star after me. It was the loveliest thing to do.

"They called it Kitty, which was my nickname on set. It started a couple of years ago when I had a Hello Kitty T-shirt on and Angela said "Hello Kitty." It just stuck. Everyone has been so kind and there have been a lot of tears.

Having started on the soap when she was 17, Georgia has grown up on screen from a chubby, sulky teenager to become one of Weatherfield's best-loved characters, shedding a considerable amount of weight in the process. "I know I look very different to when I started and I'm very pleased about that," she smiles, her blonde hair now dyed into a sleek, brown bob.

"Everyone assumes that it must've been puppy fat that just melted off me, but I worked my backside off to get thin." She lost the weight by swimming 50 lengths per day in her local swimming pool.

"In two years I lost 2st and I'm still working to keep it off. Seeing myself on TV makes me think about my weight, but everyone wants to look nice, no matter what job you're in."

Georgia's now preparing for her new career as a jobbing actress - she insists she has no jobs lined up - and the effect it'll have on her life with boyfriend Mark Eyden, who plays in a band called The Jackdaws.

The couple met two years ago and it wasn't long before Mark had moved into Georgia's flat. "We've very much in love and up for getting married, but that could be 10 years away," she says. "We haven't got time - we're concentrating on work.

"I'll go where the work takes me and Mark understands that. His band's doing really well, so Mark doesn't know where he'll be in six months time. We'll always be together as a couple, but work may mean living apart. It's the price you have to pay for successful careers. I've always wanted to be the best and get it right. I'm quietly ambitious, not in an aggressive kind of way - I won't be jumping on the first plane to LA like some deluded actors do - but I have aspirations."

Georgia's hoping to have the same success as her former co-star Jane Danson, who played her older sister Leanne before leaving in 2000. "It's frustrating when people say I want to emulate her career, as I want to make my own path. But Jane and I have a brilliant relationship. It's been great to call her to see what life's like after Corrie, although she doesn't give me career tips."

After a stint in A&E, Jane now plays a lesbian cop in ITV1's The Bill and Georgia hopes she'll be appearing in some meatier roles, too.

"I'd love a really good drama after the watershed. Corrie has some great storylines, but if it was really true to life we'd be swearing our heads off. You go through abortions, affairs, rapes - the works - but rather than say: 'You bastard,' all you can say is: 'Ooh, flipping 'eck!'"

"The rape scenes were heartbreaking to film - I wanted to swear and scream, but I called him a 'spineless rat'. You have to remember that Corrie's a family soap, but now I'd like to do something more hard-hitting.

Georgia puts her drive to succeed down to a childhood experience. "When I was 11, I had pneumonia and was in hospital for weeks. I got so behind in my school work that I pushed myself extra hard. I got into such a state to make things perfect that my parents had to tell me to stop. I think I've always been a perfectionist, but that brought it to the fore. I was a lot more stressed than I should have been at 11"

Now she knows how to handle stress a lot better, Georgia's planning to take some time out with Mark before looking for work. "We're going to book a last-minute holiday. I don't care where - just somewhere cheap and cheerful, to clear my head so that I can come back revitalised and ready to go.

"People have great faith in me and I want to prove them right. Hopefully they'll still like me when I do something else."

Now Magazine 5th February 2003

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Toyah Battersby's lecturer boyfriend was marked down by Soap & Flannel as a bad lot the minute he came on the scene, because he wears glasses. Now, Soap & Flannel, wishes to point out immediately that we're not saying people who wear glasses are bad. In fact, we ourselves are no strangers to Specsavers.

But in soapland, spectacles are an indicator of intellect, which is a province in soap restricted to the middle classes. And we all know that the middle classes are regarded in soaps as the Bolshevicks looked upon the Russian royal family.

Naturally, lecturer John is a beast to his core, and his fancy words and posh ways lured Maria, Toyah's flatmate, into bed. Actually, these days it wouldn't take a tug and an efficient harbourmaster to get Maria under the duvet of an unsuitable man. Yet she used to be such a nice girl. What on earth happened to her in Canada during her sojourn with Nick Tilsley, the wooden boy? She came back a right little trollop.

Anyway dear Toyah (a big Soap & Flannel favourite) is forced to confront the fact that the man she cares for is a cad of the first order, and she decided to pack up and leave Weatherfield for good. We can only say, Toyah, that we are very sad to see you go. But you, too, had middle-class pretensions - you're a bright girl, and thus destined for soap servitude because you could never be allowed to commit the ultimate soap sin - getting above yourself.

The Radio Times 1-7 February 2003

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Georgia was sworn to secrecy about the outcome of her latest storyline, but it's no secret that the talented young actress is moving on to pastures new. So how does she feel about the future?

"I'll really miss the people I work with," But the people who are my best friends here are still my best friends, irrelevant of whether we met on Corrie or whether we met in the supermarket. There's absolutely no question of whether I'm going to see them again, it's just like when you leave school and you know you're going to keep in touch with the people you're been mates with for years.

"Samia Ghadie and Jennie McAlpine (Fiz) are my best pals because we've worked so closely together, we've had such a laugh. Jennie's so funny and Sam's really sweet so we've got a great working relationship. We care about each other and that has shown on screen. "And Angela Lonsdale, who plays Emma, is like my confidante too, so we'll see each other all the time. The girls will still be a big part of my life, no matter where I am!"

"I agree," says Samia. "Obviously I'm very sad Georgia is going and I will miss her so much , but she'll still be one of my best friends. It will be weird sitting in the Green Room without Georgia though - me and Jennie will just have to try and soldier on without her!"

All About Soap Issue 43 January 2003

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GEORGIA Taylor is hoping for something tasteless and tacky in her Christmas stocking.  "I have only just passed my driving test," confesses the Coronation Street star,  "so I'm really into making my car, Marjorie, look as camp as I possibly can. "I've got two nodding pigs in the back already, so I've told my boyfriend Mark to buy me anything to add to those."  The Merseyside-born actress hangs her head in mock shame, before looking up and grinning - very mischievously.
 
Looking fabulous in crop top and hipster jeans, she's a far cry from her alter ego, Toyah Battersby.  Georgia has a sparkle Toyah could only dream of and a down-to-earth savvy which belies her 22 years.  She has taken in her stride the transition from unknown Billinge actress to one of the best loved characters on British TV, embracing tough storylines which have gained her respect with a clutch of awards.  Which is why it's hard to understand why she's decided to call it a day - on Coronation Street at least.

"I'm confident it was the right thing to do," she says. The clincher came after the rape scenes, although Georgia, who's had abduction, adoption and other powerful storylines, was delighted to do them. "Corrie hadn't given anyone that storyline in 40 years, so I felt privileged that they trusted me with such a sensitive issue," adds Georgia, who went to St Mary's primary in Billinge and St Peter's High in Orrell.

"It was brilliant for me, it boosted my profile. The scripts were fabulous, though I would never take anything away from what people who are really in that situation have been through. "I would go home tired - crying all day can take it out of you - then I'd realise I was going home to my lovely flat, Mark, my cats and I'd come back down to earth. "After those scenes, for a few months they struggled to know what to do with Toyah. "I was asked where she would go from there and couldn't think what she could do. If I couldn't see a future for her, I couldn't play her." Georgia still finds it incredible how her character has gone from lippy lady to one of the most favoured residents. 

Her final scenes are filmed on January 3 (she is in the Street until the end of February) but she's keeping stum about how she goes. Georgia is in talks to see where she goes from here, but she's anxious to stay in the North. 
Mum Caroline and dad Geoff are still in Billinge and she lives with Mark in her Manchester flat.  "I would love to be a mum but not for a few years. With finishing Corrie, I feel my career's starting all over again."

Liverpool Echo 24/12/02

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FORMER Boyzone star Steven Gately arrived in Manchester to join one-time crooning companion Keith Duffy and the Coronation Street cast for a boisterous Christmas party. While Duffy - who has been taking a break from filming the soap this week - flew in from Dublin for the festivities, Gately made the trek over from Liverpool, where he is currently starring in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. The pair joined dozens of Street stars, including Suranne Jones, Sally Lindsay, Chris Bisson and Eileen Derbyshire, for merriment at basement venue The Late Room before heading off to karaoke at the Press Club. Fellow drinkers in the Queen Street venue were even treated to the vision of Corrie glamour-pusses Georgia Taylor and Samia Ghadie belting out their own sexy version of the Holly Valance hit Kiss Kiss, to uproarious applause.

Manchester Evening News 21/12/02

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AS Coronation Street prepares itself for the exit of long-time star Georgia Taylor, the actress says she has only one Christmas wish for her Weatherfield alter-ego Toyah Battersby.

"I think she should get some friends," quips Georgia, who is pictured leaving Manchester pub The Grapes with boyfriend Mark Eyden.

"She's got two now, Maria and Fizz. In her whole five-and-a-half years they're the only ones she's had and she only got them in the last six months."

Meanwhile, Georgia herself, who films her last scenes in January, is planning a cosy family Yuletide of her own. "Me and Mark will probably spread ourselves between his family and mine," she adds.

"Both of us have really big families and are all really into Christmas so there will be lots of running around.

"We would love to go away for a bit but I'm too busy with leaving the show. We might go to New York for the weekend if we can."

Manchester Evening News 19/12/02

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Coronation Street's Spider Nugent is making a sensational return to Weatherfield - two years after left behind lover Toyah Battersby and the eco-warrior's dramatic reappearance sparked fears his aunt Emily Bishop may be killed off by serial killer Richard Hilman in the show's Christmas storyline.

Bosses are keeping the "who's Tricky Dicky's next victim" story a firm secret but insiders say Spider - played by actor Martin Hancock - could be returning to the Street to attend a funeral.

And it would mean his "Aunty Em" would be firm favourite to be the next character to be killed off by Hillman.

Hancock - who has been appearing in the Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at Stockport's Plaza Theatre was spotted filming at Granada studios in Manchester.

One insider said: "It could be Spider will be attending a funeral but nobody knows for sure. Everyone is gossiping about it."

Hancock first appeared in Coronation Street in December 1997 as Emily's nephew Geoffrey Nugent a vegan, eco-warrior and herbal cigarette smoking didgeridoo owner.

Spider had dropped out of his second year in Politics at University and went to Australia. He lived in a community in Queensland where he protested against zinc mining and rainforest depletion until he was deported around June 1996.

Toyah immediately developed a crush on Spider, and the pair of them were instrumental in saving Theresa the turkey from being dish of the day at the Battersby Christmas dinner.

They liberated Theresa and took her to a children's farm, from where she promptly escaped. The turkey made her way back to the Street, only to meet her untimely death under the wheels of Les' car, a flurry of feathers coming to rest on the car bonnet.

Spider and Toyah then joined forces against the council's plan to build a concert bowl on the Red Rec. Later he got a job in the Benefits Agency but quit when he had to refuse a single mother her benefits.

Viewers last saw Spider two years ago when he decided to make a spiritual journey to India. Toyah refused to go with him preferring to stay in Weatherfield.

Cavendish Press 19/12/02

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TV Stars Turn Models Venice Themed Charity Catwalk at Manchester Town Hall When Manchester-based designer Sharon Bowen puts on a fashion show she doesn't do it by halves. When it came to Sharon's runaway show, four of the Street's best-looking women were happy to join TV presenter Jenny Powell in turning model for the night - even if it meant overcoming a few nerves. "I was absolutely petrified," said pretty Georgia Taylor, aka Toyah Battersby, dressed for the occasion in midnight blue taffeta. "Parading up and down that 64ft teaches you a new respect for models. I think what steadied my nerves a little was seeing people I recognised, like Denise Welsh and her husband, Time Healy, in the audience, egging me on. Proceeds went to two charities, Wish Upon A Star and the Alzheimer's Society. Hello Magazine November 26th 2002 (Click picture to enlarge)

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Coronation Street babes Toyah Battersby and Maria Sutherland are set to slug it out over a new Weatherfield hunk in a sensational love triangle. The young flatmates could soon be bitter love rivals after Toyah begins a passionate affair with her lecturer.

After bringing him home, tutor John Arnley sets his sights on glamorous barmaid Maria Sutherland. Although she rebuffs his advances, he refuses to give up.

The storyline to be screened this Christmas will pave the way for the departure of actress Georgia Taylor who has played art student Toyah for five years.

Actor Paul Warriner - last seen on TV playing a vicar - will play Arnley after being brought into Coronation Street as the new soap hunk.

Toyah will fall head over heels with 30-something lecturer Arnley after she went to him for help about her coursework.

But man-eater Maria - played by Samia Ghadie - catches his eye, and even though she desperately tries to ignore John's advances a love triangle develops, which spells the dramatic exit for unlucky in love Toyah.

Actor Paul - who ironically appeared in Coronation Street 12 years ago as Ben Williams - is said to be ''thrilled'' with his sensational entrance.

He has previously starred in medical drama A&E and Prime Suspect and most recently seen as vicar Paul Thomson who dates Gaynor Faye's character Lauren Harris in ITV comedy drama Fat Friends.

One street insider said: "Paul was chuffed to bits when he found out how he would be brought into the street. His entrance will really start with a bang.

"Although he is her lecturer at college and alot older than Toyah, she really likes him, but fails to realise he has a roving eye.

"When he meets Maria he lets her know how much he fancies her, but she tells him where to go.

"There will be a few twists to the love triangle, so who knows what will happen?"

Cavendish Press 18/11/02

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On 12 October 2002, Coronation Street star Claire Jackson passed her test first time thanks to the expert guidance provided by Instructor Diane Greenwood at BSM Manchester.

BSM Instructor Update Magazine Oct-Nov 2002

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Jane did a lot of her growing up on or around the cobbles of Weatherfield. As tearaway Leanne her traumas included eloping with Nicky Tilsley (Adam Rickitt), having an abortion, getting divorced and becoming a cocaine addict. 

Having grown up in Manchester, working on Corrie was a dream come true for Jane and her family. She's the only actress - mum Lynn is a care worker, dad Jack a builder, brother Paul a mechanic and sister Alison is a full- time mum.

And when she got the part of Leanne, it was an experience for everyone. She said: "Seeing little Jane, the youngest, in all the tabloids was a bit weird. As was just being on Coronation Street because Manchester people think they own it."

It made her decision to leave the soap twice as hard but it is one she has never regretted. She said: "Thank God I have been working for long periods because there are not a lot of parts out there.

"I'm sure Corrie has played a major part in getting work. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't. I had worked before and done good work but it's not until you get a platform like Coronation Street that people say, `Oh, you are all right'. And it's only something like Corrie that can do that."

Her success since leaving Corrie has been cited as one of the reasons Georgia Taylor, who plays her screen sister, Toyah, is leaving for pastures new. But Jane insists her friend's decision had nothing to do with her. She said: "I am very close to her. We're similar in age, we joined the show at the same time, we're two local girls and we went through it all together, growing up in our late teens on a show like Corrie. And right from the start we just clicked.

"Yes, she spoke to me about it but she had already made up her mind about what she was going to do. I think you know when it's time to move on. "You can get too comfortable doing something like soap. Neither Georgia or myself ever expected to be in Corrie in the first place, so it was fantastic experience. But we were both keen to try something else."

Even so, she won't rule out a return to the Street one day. She stays in touch with all the Battersby clan - Bruce Jones, who plays dad Les, and Vicky Entwistle, her screen mum Janice - as well Denise Welch (Natalie Barnes) and Jenny James (Geena Gregory).

She said: "I would never say never. While the Battersbys are there, there is a reason for Leanne to walk back down the street and pop in for a cup of tea.

Extracted from Article in the Sunday Mail 06/10/02

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