Coronation Street’s newest star Vicky Myers reveals she faced down cancer battle and divorce on the way to getting her ‘dream’ role on the soap: ‘I am so proud to be here’

Star of Coronation Street Vicky Myers has expressed her happiness at landing a full-time role on the show while also sharing details of her challenging hiring process.

The 48-year-old actress has played four distinct roles on the serial opera before landing a regular role.

She portrays DS Lisa Swain, who had appeared on the show sporadically over the previous three years but will now have a larger role and command attention as she arrests Roy on suspicion of murder.

However, Vicky has acknowledged that it has taken a while, following a trying time during which she separated from her spouse and received a cancer diagnosis.

She told The Mirror that a doctor discovered a suspicious lesion on her leg—which turned out to be skin cancer—when she was taking her nephew for a checkup.

She said she “definitely had an angel watching over me that day,” acknowledging how fortunate she was to have been found, and that she required reconstructive surgery.

Fortunately, she made a full recovery. However, Vicky revealed that following a string of rejections, she made the decision to leave up acting, stating, “I felt financially, mentally, and physically I needed a break just to breathe.”

She said that despite trying to pay her expenses, she just “couldn’t make it work” as a single mother to her 28-year-old daughter Meghan.

It took her some time to return to the acting industry, though, as she appeared in The Five, Ackley Bridge, and The Long Shadow before landing her Corrie role. She said of the character, “It’s literally a dream come true.”

Vicky, a native of Stockport, gushed about how Corrie is a “rite of passage” for Northern actresses, saying, “On my very first day, I walked down the cobbles and I thought, “I know you.” Watching the show as a child makes it feel like home.

“I don’t know if it’s my previous medical history,” she said, reflecting on her difficult path. “But I am so proud to be here and just to be living each day to the full.” Upon receiving the news that I had [cancer], I recall feeling depressed, resentful, and vindictive. I also recall thinking, “If this is it for me, I’ve missed out on all this time with my daughter and I haven’t really been the best person that I wanted to be.”

The diagnosis gave me a new perspective and forced me to concentrate on the things that truly matter and bring me joy. These days, the Coronation Street sign always overwhelms me when I get to work.

Earlier this month, it was made public that Vicky has secured a regular contract to play DS Swain. She announced the news on Instagram with the caption, “DS Swain is here to stay.”

It’s obvious that I’m thrilled! I appreciate your support and the congrats you have sent. It is very much valued.

“I was initially contracted to do eight episodes, so I didn’t expect this to happen at all and it’s really quite something,” she remarked in an interview with Digital Spy on how her role has changed.

Naturally, you hope it happens, but at the moment, it was my responsibility to find out this woman’s true story, tell it, and do it as truthfully as I could.

“Because, in my opinion, you lose sight of what’s in front of you if you run away with yourself beyond that.”

I therefore put a lot of effort into that and hoped that after I had done my best to develop this powerful woman and had done my homework, more would come about.

I questioned, “Who is she? Why is she present? Why is she still a detective sergeant at that age? What makes this woman tick, and what does she see in it?

After that, things developed in the most amazing way. However, this was not at all anticipated.

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