Katie McGlynn opens up on devastating loss which inspired her role in Coronation Street
FORMER Coronation Street star Katie McGlynn revealed where she got her inspiration from for her audition as Sinead Tinker.
The Manchester-born actress, 29, has been on our tv screens for more than a decade.
Katie is known for her role as the troubled teenager Jodie ‘Scout’ Allen in Waterloo Road from 2011 to 2013.
She spent seven years playing Sinead Tinker on Coronation Street from 2013 until 2020.
Sinead married Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) and they had a son together named Bertie.
She sadly left the show in a devastating storyline where her character lost a battle with cancer.
Next she played Becky Quentin in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks from 2021 to 2022.
Her character Becky was an activist which led to her taking extreme action, such as throwing a smoke bomb inside a building and killing Marnie Nightingale in the blast.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Katie revealed how she is in awe of the “impact” she can have on people with her job.
She said: “I genuinely love it, that’s why I wanted to get into this industry. The impact that you can have, especially the stories on Coronation Street.
“It’s in people’s living rooms five times a week and to be able to really tackle those issues and the impact that you can have is just brilliant.
“I love to entertain people. I want to make people laugh, make people cry and that’s just the beauty of this job.”
She added that her late grandfather was her “biggest supporter” early on in her career and always wanted her to land a part in Coronation Street, but tragically passed away just weeks before she got the audition.
Katie continued: “My grandad was my biggest supporter and I remember we were watching Coronation Street, I’d just landed the job on ‘Waterloo Road’ and he’s like ‘When are you gonna get on ‘Coronation Street’, Katie?’ I was like ‘Hold your horses!’
“And sadly he passed away in the February just before his 80th birthday, and a week or two later I got the audition for Coronation Street, which was just really bizarre.
“I always think of him when I’m doing these amazing things and he’s always in the back of my mind.
“I feel so lucky that I’ve had the career that I’ve had so far. In this play, Cleo is completely different to any other character that I’ve had.”
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant is currently playing the part of Cleo in a touring production of Peter James’ Wish You Were Dead.