HOW DID YOU FIND SHOOTING YOUR FINAL SCENES?
IT WAS very emotional. I was so pleased that the final scene I filmed was in The Rovers with the Connor family and my real family were there to watch. When the scene finished everyone started clapping and I started crying. I got lots of gorgeous flowers, cards, presents. This show has been such a huge part of my life and to know that I had spoken my last words as Michelle, for now at least, was such a strange feeling. After the scene, I went for drinks with my on-screen family and my real family and some other members of cast. I'd had my leaving party the week before!
IS MICHELLE SADDENED BY HOW HER RELATIONSHIP WITH ROBERT ENDED?
Michelle really did see her future with Robert, but she probably gave him too many chances in the past, to be honest. He had lied to her so many times and she had taken him back. She wanted her happy ever after but there was no way she was going to forgive him this time. Having a baby with another woman after everything Michelle went through was really the last straw and unforgivable.
SO HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT LEAVING THE SHOW BEHIND?
I don't feel like it's happened. I think because I'm busy at the moment it hasn't hit me yet, so I think it's going to be in the New Year that it really hits home. I have seen everyone here more than I have seen my own family. I have made friends for life and, although I will miss working with them, I know that I will be keeping in touch with all of them. Ali King and I are like sisters and I am going to miss seeing her face every day.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE STORYLINE?
I have been very fortunate to have had some amazing storylines written for Michelle but the most memorable and the one that was so much more than just a storyline was the loss of Ruairi. It was such an important story to tell and such a personal one for me. I'm very proud of myself for being able to get through it in the first place, because it was obviously quite tricky to put yourself back in that place you didn't really want to be in. But it was absolutely the right thing to do; the reasons we wanted to do it were absolutely valid and we proved that by the amount of publicity and response that we got - being spoken about in the House of Commons.
WILL THE DOOR REMAIN OPEN FOR MICHELLE'S RETURN?
We very much saw it as a break. We didn't see it as me saying goodbye. I love the character and I love the show, and it is definitely not the end for Michelle, unless they kill me off, off screen! In my head, it was just a case of, 'I'd like to go and try some other stuff'. I've not experienced an awful lot of stuff outside of the show.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT COMING UP NEXT?
We are in the middle of rehearsals now for Elf and it is full on, it is great to be able to work with my daughter, Polly, I'm so proud of her. I am splitting my time between Elf and working on a film with Joan Collins, Martin Kemp and Luke Goss, the film is a black comedy called The Loss Adjuster and I play a character called Angie. It's great to be so busy, I feel very fortunate.
