One Coronation Street actress looks completely different after landing a new role away from the ITV cobbles.
Matilda Freeman played the original iteration of Summer Spellman from 2017 until 2020, when she was replaced by current actress Harriet Bibby. Matilda appeared in 147 episodes of the ITV soap before leaving to pursue other opportunities – and she’s now acting alongside another iconic Corrie star in dark comedy Passenger.
The new ITV series is set in the close-knit community of Chaddar Vale, which is taken over by a series of bizarre and unnatural crimes. Matilda plays Lilly, and looks totally different to her time on the cobbles. She’s now ditched her blonde hair for an auburn look, with freckles dotted over her nose.
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The young star rocked a half-up, half-down ‘do in one still from the series, donning a green oversized coat with heart-shaped earrings glittering at her lobes. She’s starring alongside Jack James Ryan, who played Jacob Hay in Corrie, in the new ITV series.
(Image: ITV)
It also stars Corrie alum Debbie Rush, best known for her role as Anna Windass on the cobbles; while Teresa Bryant star Karen Henthorn, who starred in the soap from 2007 until 2010, will crop up too. Even ex-Emmerdale star Tom Lister – who played Carl King in the rival soap – pops up as Nick Goodheart in the new programme, making it a veritable soap bingo for viewers.
Matilda previously confessed that working on Coronation Street was “quite limiting”, explaining to fans that she left “to be able to work on other shows/films/projects”. She explained: “When you work at Corrie you’re under a contract which means you can’t work on anything else while you’re there – so it was quite limiting.”
(Image: ITV)
When she first left the soap, she told fans: “I’d like to say thank you to my second family, the cast, crew and viewers who have supported me during my time on the cobbles. After three and a half lovely years I felt it was time for a change and I’m excited to be starting that next chapter with a new role.”
Since leaving Corrie, Matilda has also starred in an episode of Alma’s Not Normal in 2021, playing the teenage version of Lin. And before signing up to the cobbles, she starred in everything from BBC medical soap Doctors to 2019 film The Last Boy.
(Image: @officialmatildafreeman)
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Meanwhile, plenty of Matilda and Jack’s co-stars have been promising to tune into the new series on social media, with Harriet Bibby gushing: “WHO’S READY?!” with a row of hands-up emojis. Amy Barlow actress Elle Mulvaney also promoted the series via X, writing: “Passenger with our @JackJamesRyan on ITV1 and ITVX! [Popcorn emoji].”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
