Rachel Leskovac is best-known for portraying Natasha Blakeman in the hit ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street.
On the cobbles she was the mother to Nick Tilsley’s son Sam Blackman, but was tragically killed-off on Halloween in 2021.
Natasha first popped up in Corrie in 2008 before departing in 2010, only to return in 2020 before her demise the following year.
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In her final storyline, Natasha had recently revealed the news of Sam being his son to Nick, but was uneasy with with the youngster having contact with his dad when Leanne – Nick’s partner – and her stepson Simon became involved with drug lord Harvey Gaskell.
Her reservations proved to be true, because months after Natasha was shot by Harvey who thought she was Leanne.
Natasha then passed away from internal bleeding shortly after, leaving her only son heartbroken.
Scroll on to learn more about the actress behind Natasha – from a very sweet co-star bond, to a a rival soap role.
Sweet bond with co-star
(Image: instagram.com/rachelleskovac)
While portraying Sam’s mum in her second Corrie stint, Rachel became very close to the actor who played her on-screen son.
Rachel would often post adorable snaps with Jude Riordan, who plays Sam on the cobbles.
Sharing a slew of cute and funny snaps with her on-screen son, Rachel often leaves fans swooning over the pair’s very sweet bond.
On one adorable photo of the pair pulling silly faces, one fan penned: “Love you two together,” while another said: “You two are so cute!”
“Love this friendship,” added a third.
While a fourth referred to her exit when they wrote: “Gonna miss seeing you two together. Can’t wait to see where your new ventures take you.”
(Image: instagram.com/rachelleskovac)
When Rachel was killed-off, young Jude took to his Instagram page to share a sweet slew of snaps and a touching caption.
He said: “My last day with @rachelleskovac on @coronationstreet I think you can see how emosh we were. Eyes red raw from crying. I think it’s very clear how much we clicked from our first face time last Spring. I wish we could’ve spent forever playing Mum & Son.”
Rival soap roles
Coronation Street isn’t the only television show Rachel has appeared on.
She is known for portraying the role of Kelly Yorke in the BBC One medical drama series Holby City from 2003 until 2004 prior to taking on the role of Natasha in Corrie.
Rachel is also known for portraying Joanne Cardsley in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks during her break from Corrie in the 2010s, from 2015 until 2016.
Also, she recently joined the revival of the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road as English teacher Coral Walker when it returns to our screens.
Worried about being axed
(Image: rachelleskovac/Instagram)
Back in 2009 during her first Coronation Street stint, Rachel revealed that she was worried about getting dropped from the beloved Manchester-based soap.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: “Everything has been going great guns but something might happen and then I might not be part of the soap any more.”
“I have a three-year contract, that is made up of a series of options,” she continued.
Adding: “It’s different for everyone but for me it’s every six months, so I’ll know at the end of this month if it’s going to be extended. It does make me feel nervous.”
Waterloo Road announcement
In February 2022, Rachel revealed the exciting news that she would be starring in the new reboot of Waterloo Road.
Taking to Twitter she said: “Finally allowed to tell you all what I’m working on – the brilliant Waterloo Road – it’s going to be mega!!!”
Fans were quick to congratulate Rachel at the time, with one writing: “I am super happy for you! I bet you’re going to kill it on Waterloo Road! When one door closes, another one opens and you so deserve this role and opportunity.”
The new series is set to air in January 2023, with Rachel taking on the role of English teacher Coral Walker when it returns to our screens.
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
