Coronation Street star Jane Hazlegrove, who plays Bernie in the ITV soap, has revealed she received an inspiring message from Barbara Knox after her first stint on the soap.
The latest episode of Coronation Street (which aired Friday 23rd 2023) saw Bernie break the news to Gemma that if she gets locked up, she’ll sadly miss Paul’s last Christmas in emotional scenes.
Jane has played the role of Bernie Winter since 2019 but previously appeared on the cobbles as another character back in the 1980s when she played a teenager named Sue Clayton.
Barbara, who plays Rita Tanner in Corrie, rightly predicted that Jane would return to the show after her first stint, Jane revealed in a recent interview.
"When I left the show, they gave me a massive card which everybody had signed – including all the legends," Hazlegrove told Metro.
"Barbara Knox had written: 'Good luck Jane. Remember, rovers always return.'"
Jane went on to explain that when she returned to the soap, "I was nervous about seeing her again in case she went: 'Right, has this one improved since she was 16?!'"
"She had a massive impact on me when I was a child and when I came back, I thought: 'Oh my gosh, I don't think she's going to remember me'."
Before adding: "And she made out she did, she was very gracious."
"I was full of trepidation," Jane continued in the interview. "There were no nerves whatsoever when I was 16. I knew it was a big job but I was incredibly confident. Turning up at 51 was a completely different ball game.
"When you're a teenager, there's the arrogance of youth, you don't doubt yourself. But coming in as Bernie I was frightened. I was worried that nerves would completely take over and I'd be an idiot and then I'd be through the revolving door and asked to leave as soon as I'd done my first day."
"I thought I'd forget my lines. I was worried about letting myself down and letting the show down."
Tune in to next week's episode of Coronation Street to see what's next for Bernie.
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITVX.
