17 January 2024 , 19:00
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Gemma Winter arrived in Weatherfield almost 10 years ago and has been involved in some major storylines on Coronation Street.
From selling drugs with Callum Logan to giving birth to quadruplets and getting into trouble with child services, Gemma has kept us all on our toes and shouting at the telly. Away from the cameras, Dolly-Rose Campbell - who portrays the character of Gemma - lives a much less chaotic life.
She has become a familiar face on our screens since 2014, but what do we know about Dolly-Rose's real life? Here, we take a look at the soap star's role in a rival series, her surprising real age and her love life.
Dolly-Rose had a role in Doctors before her career took off on Corrie (@dolly_rose_campbell/Instagram)
She says Manchester Pride enabled her to be proud of her sexuality (SplashNews.com)Career before
Despite being an avid fan of the ITV soap, Dolly-Rose's first taste of starring in a series was when she landed the role of Sasha Dyson in Doctors in 2010. She was in a number of episodes during that year. But before her acting career took off, she worked as a bartender - which luckily came in handy for her pulling pints in the Rovers Return. She once said: "I've worked behind a bar in real life, it was before Coronation Street when I worked in radio. I did hospitality and bar work."
Shortly after her audition for Gemma Winter, Dolly-Rose went on a tour of Weatherfield. And it was during the tour that she found out she landed the role in Coronation Street. She said during a recent interview: "I'd had an audition before the tour but I wasn’t expecting anything. While we were walking around my friend said, 'Imagine if you got a job on it' and I was saying that would never happen. Just a couple of days later I got a call saying I had the part."
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Real age
When Dolly-Rose first arrived on the show, viewers were led to believe that she was an older teenager or in her early twenties. However, the actor is actually 36 years old and sports an incredibly youthful appearance. She was born on April 12, 1987, making her an Aries.
Romances
Although it is not known whether Dolly-Rose is in a relationship, in 2019 she came out as bisexual - and credits Manchester Pride as the reason she has been able to accept her sexuality. She said: "I have been coming to Pride for over a decade now, the love and acceptance shown by the people of Manchester allowed me to accept my bisexuality and be proud of who I am. The work that Manchester Pride does throughout the year to engage with and create opportunities for people in Manchester’s LGBT+ community and beyond makes a huge difference to so many people's lives."
The star has also revealed that she wants to focus on helping others come to terms with their sexuality in her role as ambassador for the annual LGBTQ+ event. She told the Daily Star: "I have always been supported by my friends and family for people who are struggling, I would always say people who mind don't matter, people who matter don't mind."