Georgia Taylor first played gobby teenager Toyah Battersby more than two decades ago - and her life has changed drastically since.
After signing up with the soap back in 1997 aged just 17, Georgia was catapulted to stardom overnight as the youngest member of the unruly Battersby clan.
Georgia initially disliked Toyah's look because of her revealing clothes and make-up, but slowly her character started to change and was at the centre of some of Coronation Street's most powerful and controversial storylines.
Toyah was Corrie's first female character to be involved in an underage sex storyline, was abducted by a stranger ins scenes that the Independent Televisions Commission believed should have carried a warning and was raped in harrowing scenes.
After five years, Georgia decided it was time to leave the cobbles because she and the writers struggled to come up with new storylines.
During 13 successful years away she made appearances in everything from Life on Mars to Midsomer Murders and had long-term roles on Law & Order: UK and Casualty - where she met her husband.
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Georgia met fellow actor Mark Letheren on the set of Casualty, where she played Ruth Winters between 2007 and 2011, while he starred as Ben Harding between 2008 and 2015.
Mark will also be recognised from his role as Simon Kitson on ITV's The Bill and his extended runs in Silent Witness and Wire in the Blood.
Her husband has only ever known her as Georgia, but that's not actually her real name.
While lots of soap stars are used to answering to their onscreen alter egos’ names when they’re out in public, for Georgia it's even tricker than usual.
Georgia was born Claire Jackson, but decided to change her name when she got into acting to stand out from the crowd.
"It’s not that I planned this to happen," she explained earlier this year. "But when I started with Coronation Street I had to register with Equity, the actors’ union, and at the time there seemed to be a hell of a lot of Claires so I had to think of something else."
"I couldn’t tell you where I got Georgia from, other than I liked it, but my grandad’s surname was Taylor and he passed away not long before I got the part.
"As a teenager I didn’t really think the consequences through of opting for a completely different name, but it’s meant there’s been quite a bit of confusion over the years. At this point I’ll pretty much answer to anything!"
She is still Claire on her passport and known as that to her family and oldest friends, but around half the cast and crew of Corrie call her Georgia.
"Basically when I started on Corrie the first time round I was still Claire," explained Georgia.
"It was a few weeks into the job before I was able to change my name so to everyone there at the time I was Claire Jackson, although I was Georgia Taylor in the credits. Then when I left in 2003 I went out into the world as a jobbing actress, and everyone called me Georgia.
"That was the case for years and years, and some of my very best friends call me Georgia.
"I met Mark as Georgia. But back to Coronation Street five years ago and there were still loads of the cast and crew who’d known me before as Claire, so I was back to Claire again for them while the people I hadn’t known me before called me Georgia.
"It’s pretty funny when I introduce myself to people. Anyone who recognises me from Corrie thinks of me as Toyah, and then I say ‘I’m Georgia, but I’m also Claire, so really call me whatever you like’."
After 13 years away from Weatherfield, Georgia made a dramatic return to the cobbles and has stayed on our screens ever since,
With husband Mark in New York for work when her agent called to discuss coming back, the actress phoned close friend and on-screen sister Jane Danson.
"Ever since we started together as Toyah and Leanne we’ve been best friends, so when I got that call I texted Jane straight away," said Georgia.
"She was in Center Parcs with her family, bless her, but she was amazing and after speaking to her and dealing with the whole thing over Skype with Mark, I said yes."
"And I’m so glad I did. It’s amazing being back and working with Jane has been brilliant. We film scenes together all day, and then we get home and speak to each other on the phone. She’s just the best person in the world."
Having reached the five year mark back on the Street - almost the same length of time she spent in Weatherfield first time round - Georgia has recently signed up to the show for another year.
"I feel like there’s still a huge amount to do with the character and I’m very happy to be sticking around," says the star, who grew up in Wigan.
"The first five and a half years felt like a lifetime. It was enormous. It was my first job, pretty much straight out of school, and it made such a big mark on my life.
"It’s a weird thing to look back at myself at the beginning and I can’t believe how much we took it all in our stride, Jane and I, given how young we were and how well known we became so quickly.
"I don’t know that if it suddenly happened to me in the same way now I’d be able to do it, because in some ways I’m more introverted as an adult than I was as a teenager.
"It’s that sense of walking into a shopping centre and feeling like everyone is looking at you. At 17 I thought of it as a novelty. It didn’t bother me at all, and if people wanted me to sign their magazine or whatever, that was fine. But back then there was no social media and there were no camera phones. It’s a different thing now."
*Coronation Street airs tonight on ITV at 7.30pm and 8.30pm
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