Stirling Gallacher is swapping Weatherfield for the emergency room...
Coronation Street star Stirling Gallacher has announced she is joining the cast of BBC medical drama, Casualty, and will be appearing on screen this spring.
Soap fans will know actress Stirling as Sophie Webster's former partner, Paula Martin, in Coronation Street, who wowed fans with her snappy dress sense and no nonsense approach to her job as a solicitor.
More recently Paula caused a stir on the cobbles when it was revealed she spent a night of passion with married Tracy McDonald on New Year's Eve after Tracy had a falling out with husband Steve over the festive season.
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But it was announced today that Stirling has already started filming with Saturday night medical drama, Casualty, as police officer Ffion Morgan, who is the wife of well-loved paramedic Jan, played by Di Botcher.
Talking of the move from ITV to the BBC Stirling says: "I am entirely delighted to be joining the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world… what’s not to be thrilled about!
"The added bonus is of course the folk that work on this fantastic show, I could not have felt more personally welcomed or professionally supported in what is often a bit of a nerve wracking build up to your first days filming. I look forward to many happy hours on Ffion Morgan's pretend beat.”
Simon Harper, Executive Producer of Casualty and Holby City added: "The audience may recall a single, somewhat loaded reference last year from Jan’s son Ross to her wife Ffion and the kids back home - so we’ve had her off-screen marriage up our sleeve for some time now.
"We are really excited to explore this character – not least with an actor as distinguished as Stirling, whom we are thrilled to welcome to the Casualty company, playing alongside the brilliant Di Botcher.
"Jan has a huge and terrifying story coming up in the next series where Ross comes into her life again – and given that Ross is pretty dodgy and Ffion is a police officer, it’s all going to get pretty turbulent!"
Coronation Street isn't the only TV role that Stirling is famous for... she was also a popular part of daytime medical series Doctors, where she played Georgina Woodson, and she also starred in Little Britain as the Prime Minister's wife.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
Casualty airs Saturday night at 9.10pm on BBC One.
