Katherine Kelly's Got Becks Appeal

Chain-smoking, man-eating and hard-drinking - Corrie bad girl Becky Granger has a list of vices as long as one of her fishnet-clad legs. She might be one of the feistiest characters to walk the Coronation Street cobbles, but that's not the only reason why actress Katherine Kelly has thrown herself into the role.

Playing the reckless, feckless barmaid allows her to indulge the wilder tendencies she has to suppress in reality, and gives her a bitter-sweet insight into what life would be like had she taken a different path.

"Some of my dad's family were terrible addicts and drinkers," she says. "And Dad brought me up telling me about family members who died because of their addictions."

This fear of following in their footsteps has meant that Katherine, 29, is constantly checking her behaviour, even monitoring how many glasses of wine she drinks.

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"I'm aware of the addictive personality in my genes," she says. "So if I see a pattern happening I'll make sure that I do something about it. If I have a glass of wine every night for two weeks I'll think: 'Come on now, you've got to stop.'"

As a result, Katherine couldn't be more different from Becky. "I do go out with the girls and have a drink," she says. "But I can't work hard and play hard. The older I get, the less I can function the next day." Becky would be appalled. And Katherine isn't even a proper smoker, either. In fact the roll-ups she chuffs her way through on set are strictly of the herbal variety.

"I've smoked the odd fag but I'd never say I'm a smoker," she confesses. "I'll go on a girls' holiday and party but it'll stop there. If I go out I'll have a gin and tonic because if I have more than a couple of glasses of wine I'm ready for bed. My only vice is swearing. I've got a terrible mouth."

But don't think that Katherine is adverse to having fun. After a day posing in hot pants and Audrey Hepburn-style outfits on the mean streets of London - all while valiantly ignoring the wolf whistles and frankly unprintable suggestions from some builders - we discovered this is a girl up for a giggle.

"The shoot was the most out of my comfort zone I've ever been, but nerves are good - they show you care," she says. A celebrity who's willing to try something a bit different and - shock, horror - risk making a fool of herself? Surely not. But then Katherine's not your average soap star. For starters, she hangs out with royalty. She went to the same Wakefield school as England rugby player Mike Tindall, 30, boyfriend of the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, 27.

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"Me and Mike were always good friends," Katherine explains. "We were both quite ambitious and driven. We'd go to discos but very often we wouldn't be drinking because he'd have a rugby match the next day and I'd have a singing lesson or something."

She gets on well with Zara who she says is "lovely, a gorgeous person", and reveals that the royal's relationship with the rugby star is the real deal: "Yes, they're very happy together and I would be surprised if that didn't last."

And Katherine's address book is brimming with the names of showbiz royalty too. She's such good pals with Billie Piper's husband Laurence Fox (DS James Hathaway in ITV1's Lewis) that she was invited to their wedding.

"It was a great day, and I went to meet their baby son Winston just before Christmas. Billie is absolutely lovely."

When it comes to finding her own leading man, Katherine couldn't be more different from her on-screen alter ego. In Corrie, Becky's tangled love life makes even Sienna Miller's romantic shenanigans seem simple. At one point Becky was simultaneously having steamy affairs with Steve McDonald and Jason Grimshaw. Thankfully, in real life, Katherine is a one-man woman.

"I'm dead boring. I'm all or nothing with boyfriends. Either I don't go out with anyone, or I go out with them for years." The lucky man occupying her heart is boyfriend of five years, film and theatre actor Oliver Williams, 29. They met when they were both performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Katherine with her long-term actor boyfriend Oliver

When the call came to join Corrie, Katherine and Oliver were both living in London. Commuting proved too costly, so they now live together in Manchester.

"Because of the hours I work you can never really plan things. I think it's quite hard for lads to deal with. It's fine when you're the one who is busy, but I do think it's annoying for someone's partner," she says.

Katherine shies away from all talk of marriage. And despite the recent spate of Corrie babies - Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby), Alison King (Carla Connor), and Jack P Shepherd (David Platt), have all recently become parents - Katherine denies her biological clock is ticking louder of late.

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"We all joke on set: 'Don't sit in this chair. This chair gets you pregnant,'" she laughs. "Having all the babies around has satisfied my maternal instincts. At any moment one could be being passed around the cast!"

It's clear that Katherine has quickly become as much of a Corrie institution as Betty's hotpot. As Becky, she steals every scene and only this week she turned Weatherfield against her when she told five-year-old Amy her mum was a murderer. But it wasn't so long ago that Katherine was performing Shakespeare and playing parts as diverse as princesses and crack addicts.

After graduating from RADA in 2001, she appeared in Last Of The Summer Wine, Silent Witness and Life On Mars. But it's Becky that has made Katherine famous and - for all her flaws - earned her a place in the nation's heart.

When she was asked to audition for the part of the former cellmate of knicker-stitcher Kelly Crabtree, her agent told her to turn up looking as rough as possible. Wearing no make-up and with a raging cold, she aced the audition. It was only supposed to be a small part, but bad-girl Becky made such an impression that producers brought her back and gave her the coveted role as the Rovers' 50th barmaid. And in a true marker of fame, Katherine can't even buy a bottle of water at a petrol station without getting papped!

Katherine as a sozzled Becky on her wedding day

"It's ridiculous," she giggles. "I asked my taxi driver if we could stop off to get some water, because as a Yorkshire girl I didn't want to pay the extortionate prices in hotels. And just as I was coming out there was a massive flash in my face. I couldn't understand why a picture of me buying a bottle of water would be worth the bother."

It's clear her frugal childhood has made an impression. I had to wear my brothers' hand-me-downs. All my friends had pink coats while I was in a brown one from my brothers. My mum wasn't working because she had just had three kids in four years, and my dad is one of these people who has done a million jobs and he was in-between being a psychiatric nurse and going into cars. At one point we ended up living in a caravan with a big Irish red setter.

"My mum still shops in Barnsley market and is very careful about how she spends her money," says Katherine. And her mum's thrifty ways have clearly been passed on. In February, Katherine went to the Brits in a dress that cost £24 from a vintage shop. "I recently discovered the Northern Quarter in Manchester. There's a great shop called Junk and another called Retro Rehab, which is full of vintage things."

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Which all sounds a little too classy for Becky. Leopard print and Lycra are her wardrobe staples. Good job then that Katherine can carry off even the most eye-wateringly tight outfits despite eating two, yes, that's two, breakfasts.

"I try to eat well. I have breakfast at 7.30am and I'll have another one at 10am to keep me going," she says. "Lunch might be a jacket potato and in the evening fish and veg. But I think if I have healthy meals then I can eat chocolate and biscuits too. It doesn't seem to matter whether I eat well or eat rubbish, I seem to stick at 8st."

But fashion disasters and herbal ciggies aside, it turns out there is an upside to playing Becky. "Unlike other actresses I have to look horrendous on screen. Even if I wake up looking awful in the morning, I know it won't be as bad as I looked on screen the night before!"

SO, KATHERINE HAVE YOU EVER?

Checked your boyfriend's phone?

No, never.

Googled yourself?

Yes, because somebody told me there's a porn star with my name.

Blamed something bad on someone else?

Oh yes, I mean I'm one of four kids.

Been arrested?

No, never.

Stolen something?

Yes, a rubber. My dad said to me: "If you look me in the eye and tell me you didn't steal it, I'll believe you", so I did. I still get a pain in my chest thinking about it.

Gone commando?

When my mum was in hospital having my brother my dad sent me to school with no knickers on. I remember sitting on the rug desperately trying to pull my skirt down. He got such a b****cking from my mum.

Taken something back after wearing it?

I might have done it at some point

Secretly fancied a friend's boyfriend?

No, there is a line you can't cross.

Forgotten a boyfriend's birthday?

Yes, because I've had boyfriends who were each born on April 8, 9 and 10 and it confuses me.

Lied about a terrible gift saying it was lovely?

Yes, all the time!

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Used your fame in a bad way?

No. You'll look such a prat.

Been mistaken for another celebrity?

When I had really long dark hair a guy asked if he could be my Bruce Willis. He thought I looked like Demi Moore.

Pretended to cook something when it came out of a packet?

I don't cook, I warm.

Lied to your boyfriend about how much something cost?

Yes. Oh and my mum all the time.

Looked up an ex on Facebook?

I'm not on Facebook but my brother is and he came across one of my exes only three nights ago. It was nice to hear what he'd been up to and he'll never know... unless he reads Fabulous.

Had an inappropriate dream about a colleague?

My dreams are really dark, about people dying. A sexy dream would be welcome!

Kissed a girl?

No, but I would if the part required it.

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