The Coronation Street cobbles are known for their on screen drama, but now the fueds have spilled over to behind the scenes as fan favourites squabble over brand deals
A war on the Coronation Street cobbles has erupted as some of the fan favourite stars are “livid at bosses” over money issues.
While the Corrie bosses have blocked some stars from taking brand deals, Samia Longchambon, 42, and Sair Khan, 37, have been cleared to take lucrative deals. A move one actress described as a “p*** take”.
Samia starred in an Instagram reel for Marks & Spencer alongside her Dancing on Ice husband Sylvain Longchambon, advertising their cafe’s seasonal menu. Alongside this, Sair uploaded a glossy video of a posh, £2,500 Italian oven from Bertazzoni, a move supposedly cleared by bosses.
ITV prides itself on having strict rules around commercial work as it all but bans soap stars from partaking without pre-approval from executives. According to internal documents, outside work must be pre-approved, must not conflict with ITV’s commercial partners or damage an actor’s character’s integrity.
An insider told The Sun Samia and Sair’s ad deals have angered colleagues, struggling under the soap’s budget cuts, who claim to have had similar work offers blocked.
One actress, who says she has had two deals knocked back this year, said: “It’s one rule for the polished PR favourites, and another for the rest of us. If you’re not part of the golden circle, forget it.
“They wouldn’t let most of us even do a teeth-whitening collaboration, meanwhile Samia’s out there posing with pastries.
“We’ve been told time and time again: no ads, no endorsements — not so much as a candle on Instagram. But then Samia pops up in a full-blown promo for M&S and everyone’s just supposed to pretend it’s normal?”
The unnamed actress then said that others are very angry about the bosses decision but are keeping quiet because they’re afraid of getting the axe from the show.
A Coronation Street spokesperson told The Sun: “We do not discuss individual cases, but the cast are aware that all requests for commercial deals go through an approvals process and are dealt with on a case by case basis.”
This comes as a wave of Coronation Street icons are set to wave goodbye to the cobbles include Sue Cleaver, known for playing Eileen Grimshaw, Sue Devaney, who plays Debbie Webster, and Colson Smith, who landed the role of Craig Tinker.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
