When we meet actress Alexandra Mardell for a chat about life after Coronation Street, we soon discover she is just as smiley and bubbly as her on-screen alter ego, Emma Brooker.
As well as throwing herself into auditioning for new roles, the 28-year-old, known as Ali, has been busy planning her wedding with fiancé Joe Parker. The couple, who met at drama school and got engaged in April 2021, will tie the knot next year.
“Everything’s going off all at once. I love that. It’s very me,” she says. “But yeah, the wedding plans are a lot more successful than Emma’s were. We’ve still got over a year yet, so I’m just kind of doing it a little step at a time. I’m very excited.”
But while she’s buzzing with thoughts of her wedding, plenty of tears were shed when it came to saying goodbye to her Corrie friends, including her on-screen family,the McDonalds.
Emma’s first major storyline revealed that the dad she had just lost was really her stepfather and she was in fact the child of Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) and Fiona Middleton (Angela Griffin).
“That was the cherry on top of the cake. I was thrilled to be thrust into an iconic family like that. Working with them – with Kate Ford [Tracy] and Simon – has been such good fun. I’ve had an amazing time.”
Indeed, joining the McDonald clan can be a mixed blessing for an actor, as Simon has a reputation for making the cast crack up during filming.
“It’s difficult to get through a scene,” says Ali. “Bless him, he’s so funny. I remember watching one time, and they cut to me and I was just laughing. But I know that was me laughing. I wasn’t in character.”
Despite having decided to leave the soap, Ali has only happy memories of her time in Weatherfield.
“It’s still kind of surreal,” she grins. “Being in Corrie was always a career goal, so the fact I was lucky enough to have that opportunity – it’s just ridiculous. And I’m forever grateful for it. I guess it’s the people I’m going to miss the most. I know everyone says it, but it really is like a big family.”
Ali feels she has spent a good period of time on the cobbles, having arrived in April 2018. “My initial contract was only for six months and, for me, that wasn’t long enough,” she says. “I was just praying that I got to stick around for a bit longer. Luckily, I did.”
So making the decision to walk away from a regular wage and colleagues she loves wasn’t easy.
“It was really difficult,” she admits. “Even now I’m like, ‘What have I done?’ I know it’s right for me, but I can see how people stay there for 20 or 60 years, because it’s just such an amazing place to work.”
When the time came to film her closing scene, Ali confessed things all became rather emotional. Scenes aren’t necessarily shot in the order they are screened, but on this occasion Ali’s last scene was Emma’s final appearance in the show.
“I was so lucky and really pleased that my last scene was my final scene, especially with Covid still lurking around and schedules changing,” she says. “I wasn’t expecting it to be that emotional. I knew, obviously, that I was going to be upset to say goodbye to everyone, but when the assistant director said, ‘That’s a wrap. That’s Alexandra’s last scene,’ I just burst into tears, uncontrollably. I could not stop.
“I thought, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ I was just so overwhelmed. I think because of all the support of the cast and crew being there at that moment and coming to say goodbye. It really overwhelmed me
and I was very upset – very sad to say goodbye.”
The actress, who was born in Leeds and trained at the Guildford School Of Acting, says the role of Emma came as a bit of a change from her previous jobs.
“Before I joined Corrie, the characters that I played had been quite mean,” she says. “So it was a nice change for me.”
It’s hardly surprising that after so many months of being unable to socialise or film normally because of Covid restrictions, the Corrie cast and crew turned out in force for Ali’s recent leaving do.
“It was so lovely. It was the first time for us all to be able to get together, so everyone was just really excited to be there and be with each other. That was quite overwhelming. It was a really nice goodbye.”
One leaving present in particular stood out for the actress. “I think my favourite – I should have had it on now – was a necklace which said Ali on the front and then on the back it had the date of my first episode.”
On leaving, she also made sure she took some special mementoes of Emma.
“I took a big pink fur coat that Emma wore on
her hen do, which I will probably never wear, and
her pink check skirt.”
Emma has always worn her heart on her sleeve, so fans were delighted to see the eternal romantic finally get her happy ending, flying to Australia with Jon.
“It was definitely her priority and dream,” Ali admits. “Now she’s found the perfect man.”
Looking to the future, Ali is keeping an open mind about what she will do next.
“I’ve always loved auditioning so it’s nice to get back into that again,” says Ali, whose only previous TV role was in an episode of Vera. “Luckily, because Joe’s an actor as well, we have a system and help each other out a lot. I’m open to anything. I’m not specifically aiming for something – TV, film, theatre, musicals – I really just want to give everything a go.”
However she does have at least one dream role in mind. “I’ve always wanted to play Miss Hannigan in Annie – but I might have to wait a little while.”
And Ali won’t rule out a return to Coronation Street at some point in the future.
“Saying goodbye was hard enough. But that hope that one day, you know, there’s a possibility I could go back, that kind of keeps me going.
“It might not be goodbye forever,” she adds. “You never know.”
