Since arriving on the Corrie cobbles, Alya Nazir has endured many calamities.
She’s been involved with unavailable men, her father died, her grandad vanished after breaking her grandma’s heart, her brother bolted for London after his wife (Alya’s bestie) fell for a woman, then said bestie was tragically killed. Yikes.
Thankfully, Sair Khan, who plays Alya, is much more sorted than her on-screen character.
She has a job she loves, a solid family, supportive friends, a lovely boyfriend (Simon Lennon, also an actor who starred in Our Girl), and a new home she’s enjoying getting settled in.
Sair, who arrives for our interview looking gorgeous in a snakeprint co-ord outfit with cream loafers and a trendy leather jacket, is engaging and thoughtful.
Being 30 and feeling established in Soapland clearly agrees with her.
As did her recent stint in the I’m A Celebrity… jungle, which expanded her horizons and boosted her confidence further.
Here Sair talks red carpets, her concerns about the pressures of reality TV, and her love for her Corrie cast mates…
You’ve been having some good clashes on the street lately…
Yes, and I love working with Ali King (Carla) because she’s an incredible actress.
I do like doing those scenes, but I hate going up against Carla – she’s such a fan favourite, so you know you’re in for loads of sh*t.
Soap fans are very passionate – how do you deal with it?
The way I deal with it has definitely changed over time.
At the beginning I read everything.
I was looking at the hashtags for Corrie and my name, I just wanted to know it all.
Then I realised that’s not a true reflection of how I feel about the work and of what other people think.
A lot of it can be negative, and you can be a sucker for punishment when you start in this industry and you don’t know how it works.
So you don’t read it any more?
No. Now I very rarely go on Twitter, I don’t have the app.
In terms of Instagram , my friend was on my phone the other day and looked at who I follow and said ‘Sair, your Instagram feed is just photos of people’s homes and nature and life-affirming quotes.’
Well, good.
You have to tune out all the bad stuff.
But people do forget it’s fiction.
Coronation Street star says new 'heartbreaking' storylines have turned cast into 'wrecks'
Do you enjoy the glamorous side of the job?
Someone said to me I always look happy in my red carpet pictures, which is nice.
I’ve always been a happy-go-lucky person, but I’ve gained more confidence.
So you don’t get nervous?
Oh, the red carpet can be quite stressful.
Often you don’t get any help, you have to source the dresses yourself, you have to find the hair and make-up people, you have to pay out of your own pocket.
So it’s not much fun, it really isn’t.
When you’re there you want to look good, but it’s so uncomfortable.
Now I’ve turned 30, I just don’t give a f*ck.
I just want to be comfortable and I’m not opposed to wearing the same outfit again and again on the red carpet if it suits me.
What else has changed now you’re in your 30s?
I feel like I know the industry and myself a little more, and sadly it is full of d*ckheads, and you don’t realise that until you’ve been in it a while.
In the beginning I was so eager to please and so disappointed if things didn’t go my way, or people didn’t speak to me at events.
Now I just have fun with my mates and turn a blind eye.
What made you decide to do the jungle?
I got asked to do Extra Camp in 2017 and I said, ‘A week in Australia? Of course I’d love to do it, put me forward!’
Then I said, ‘Throw my name in the hat for next year!’
And it snowballed from there.
I just went for it.
You get to live outdoors and do all these trials and obviously you get paid for it!
Why wouldn’t I do it?
Were you worried about doing reality TV?
A certain side of you is shown, but that’s completely different thanks to the circumstances you’re in.
If someone starves you and restricts your sleep, and you don’t know what time it is, it’s psychological warfare in there sometimes, so only a certain part of your personality is going to come out.
Are you still in touch with your fellow camp mates?
Yeah, I love everyone from the jungle, we’ve got a WhatsApp group, which is going off constantly.
We’ve all been invited to Fleur East’s wedding in June, which is really lovely, and James McVey and Kirstie’s wedding as well.
The pressures some people have felt since coming out and have had a lot of attention thrust on them, it’s a bit overwhelming.
So we make sure we’re all OK.
Any more reality TV on the cards?
I’m not in a rush to get back into the reality TV bubble.
It’s constructed reality and that’s what people have to remember.
With I’m A Celeb… the people who go into it are more established in their career, so they approach it in a different way.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I watch it and I love it, but reality TV, there’s something that doesn’t quite sit right with me.
The expectation that these young kids are putting on themselves to succeed and
be successful.
Somebody said to me at a photoshoot recently that they don’t lend clothes to soap actors any more, because they’re concentrating on influencers and reality stars.
Was there a back-up plan in case acting didn’t work out?
No. I heard someone say once, ‘If you have a Plan B, go for the Plan B,’ because it is
such a tough industry.
I’m under no illusions, I’m a complete realist – if I leave Coronation Street I’ll be prepared not to work for two years.
I need to have enough money in my bank account to get back to the real world and start auditioning.
As incredible as this show is, it doesn’t guarantee you a job for life, and it doesn’t mean you’ll get the next job.
The likes of Sarah Lancashire, Suranne Jones and Katherine Kelly have all come out of Corrie and have hit mega stardom…
Of course.
Obviously we’d all want to have those careers, they’ve done really well.
They’ve followed their own paths and done what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it.
For me, that’s the true mark of success, not being dictated to by other people.
Do you live a showbiz lifestyle now?
No! I love getting a bargain.
When I’m in Home Bargains or B&M, people say, ‘What are you doing here? You’re in Coronation Street!’
I’m obsessed with Mrs Hinch.
Simon bought me a big basket of sponges and cleaning mitts for Christmas last year.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve had so far?
‘Play the game!’ But what is the game?
If someone would tell me what the game is, I’d know how to play it.
Coronation Street, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, ITV
