Corrie star 'couldn't be happier' as she joins rival soap year after sudden exit

12 October 2023 , 11:04

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Corrie star 'couldn't be happier' as she joins rival soap year after sudden exit

Former Coronation Street star Melanie Hill has taken to social media to express her delight in joining BBC's Casualty - just a year after quitting the cobbles.

The 61 year old actress joined the ITV soap in 2015 as Cathy Matthews and was embroiled in some heartwarming storylines. Cathy had an on off relationship with cafe owner Roy Cropper after the death of her husband. Roy fell in love with Cathy after helping her deal with her hoarding addiction, which was her coping mechanism to help deal with her grief. But actress Melanie quit her role in 2022 to help care for her 88 year old mother.

Melanie will now play Clinical Nurse Manager Siobhan Mackenzie in Casualty and her character is reportedly said to ruffle a few feathers among her colleagues, on the back of her no nonsense attitude. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Melanie said that she: "Couldn’t be more happy. I’m super excited for the year ahead working with such brilliant folks @BBCCasualty @BBC."

Melanie Hill set to star in BBC's Casualty

And her fans wasted no time in congratulating the star. One person wrote: "Congratulations, Melanie!" Another person said: "So pleased about this! Have a brilliant time there x." And a third added: "Wonderful news Mel." Casualty's official X page also wrote: "Welcome to #Casualty, Melanie Hill!"

At the time of announcing her departure from Corrie Melanie said: "It's not been an easy thing to decide. My family has been important but the pandemic has made a lot of people think about the future. It has changed a lot of things in my head. You’ve just got to see what’s important to you."

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Melanie also said she had plans to travel to Australia, where several members of her family live. Luckily for Coronation Street fans, the door has been left open for Cathy to make a return. Rather than kill her off, soap bosses of the popular show chose to have her drive away to start a new life with boyfriend Brian Packham instead.

Speaking about her new role in Casualty, Melanie said that she was "delighted" to be joining the cast." She added: "She’s a supremely competent manager, who is firm but fair and expects nothing but the best from her nursing team. " But she warned: "However, get on the wrong side of her and she’ll make mincemeat out of you! I’m sure she’s going to ruffle a few feathers in the Emergency Department.”

Jon Sen, Executive Producer of Casualty for BBC Studios, said: “I am so excited to welcome Melanie to the team. I’ve been a huge admirer of her work for years and it’s wonderful to see her here at Holby. We’ve got brilliant stories lined up for Siobhan and can’t wait for the audience to meet her.” Melanie has been married to Jimmy Daly since 2017.

Lucretia Munro