As Coronation Street’s Steve and Michelle prepare to tie the knot, star Kym Marsh hopes the couple get their happy ending, but she says any mini McDonalds are not on the cards…
Tell us about the big day, KYm…
“It’s at a registry office because Michelle and Steve don’t have much money, and the reception is at The Rovers. But obviously, Michelle being a wedding planner, she’s been able to pull in favours so they’ve done a really nice job. It’s all on a budget, but it looks beautiful. We had such a laugh filming it; it was great fun. But we always do. Me and Simon [Gregson, who plays Steve] are really good mates.”
As the wedding approaches, is Michelle confident that Steve’s recovery is going well?
“Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, when we saw him propose, she was concerned that he’d asked her to marry him when they had all these money problems, but she was just worried about everything. I think she’s absolutely confident that they’re heading in the right direction. She’s very much there for him, and he knows that.”
What is Michelle’s wedding dress like? And does it meet with your approval?
“Well, it’s not what Kym would wear! It’s hard when you go looking at wedding dresses, or any clothes really. You want to buy something that’s ‘you’, but you have to keep in your mind that it’s got to be right for the character. It’s not massively frilly; it’s a bit vintagey.
"It was only the third one I tried on; I was like ‘That’s the one!’ Although I did try it on in a size 18 which was quite amusing! They had to pin it in and say ‘Imagine it in your size!”
Real-life brides normally get in shape before their wedding – did you feel pressure to look good?
“Yeah, I totally did! I had my spray tan. Even though it’s not you and it’s your character, you still don’t want to look horrible in your dress! But I was very busy around that time so I didn’t do as much working out as I would’ve liked.”
Do you feel a sense of anticipation when you film a wedding, even though it’s not real?
“Yeah, you get excited when you’re in make-up and having your hair done. And then you put the dress on and everyone says, ‘Aww, you look gorgeous!'”
Will you and your fiancé, Dan Hooper, watch the wedding together*?
“He probably won’t watch it, but I’ll watch it, definitely. I like to watch when there’s something big going on, whether it’s my storyline or someone else’s. And my children will watch it – although Polly, my four year old, gets really confused. She’ll say ‘Mummy, your name’s not Michelle, is it not?’ She calls Simon ‘the daddy one’. She came into work when I had the fitting and said ‘Why have you got that dress on?’ and I said ‘Cos I’m gonna get married in this.’ She said, ‘You’re getting married to the daddy one?’ I was like,’Yes – but not really...”
Do you want Steve and Michelle to have a happy ever after?
“Simon always says that we’re the Ross and Rachel of Coronation Street. It’d be nice for them to stay together. I think it’d be weird if they didn’t now because they’ve been through so much to get to where they are – not just recently, but over the years with Becky and all the rest of it. But it’s soapland, so you never know, do you?”
Would you like them to still be together in 10 years?
“Yeah, why not? That’d be nice.”
Can you envisage them having kids?
“No, don’t say that! I don’t think that’s ever on the cards. They had the argument about whether he was going to have a vasectomy, and Michelle has made it clear that she doesn’t want to have any more children. Whether they do or not is another matter, but Simon and I both hope that doesn’t happen – we’ve got enough at home.The dog’s enough for now!”
*The interview was held before Dan and Kym announced their temporary split
