Coronation Street fans were taken aback after spotting actress Matilda Freeman in a new TV role far away from the cobbles.
The teen played the original Summer Spellman for three years until 2020, when she was replaced by current actress Harriet Bibby. Matilda appeared in 147 episodes of the ITV soap before leaving to pursue other opportunities – and she’s now acting alongside another iconic Corrie star in dark comedy Passenger.
The new ITV series is set in the close-knit community of Chaddar Vale, which is taken over by a series of bizarre and unnatural crimes. Matilda plays Lilly, and looks totally different to her time on the cobbles. She’s now ditched her blonde hair for an auburn look, with freckles dotted over her nose.
The young star rocked a half-up, half-down ‘do in one still from the series, donning a green oversized coat with heart-shaped earrings glittering at her lobes. She’s starring alongside Jack James Ryan, who played Jacob Hay in Corrie, in the new ITV series, report the Daily Star.
It also stars ex Corrie favourite Debbie Rush, best known for her role as Anna Windass; while Teresa Bryant star Karen Henthorn, who starred in the soap from 2007 until 2010, will crop up too. Even ex-Emmerdale star Tom Lister who played Carl King in the rival soap pops up as Nick Goodheart in the new programme, making it a veritable soap bingo for viewers.
Matilda once shared that being on Coronation Street was a bit restricting. She told her fans she left “to be able to work on other shows/films/projects. She said: “When you work at Corrie you’re under a contract which means you can’t work on anything else while you’re there so it was quite limiting.”
After she decided to leave the show, she thanked everyone: “I’d like to say thank you to my second family, the cast, crew and viewers who have supported me during my time on the cobbles. After three and a half lovely years I felt it was time for a change and I’m excited to be starting that next chapter with a new role.”
Matilda has been busy since she left Corrie. She played in an episode of Alma’s Not Normal in 2021 as teenage Lin. Before joining Corrie, she acted in lots of things, from the BBC’s Doctors to the 2019 movie The Last Boy.
Also, Matilda and Jack’s friends from the show are super excited about their new series. Harriet Bibby is really looking forward to it, saying: “WHO’S READY? ! ” with lots of emojis. Elle Mulvaney, who plays Amy Barlow, is telling everyone to watch it too, posting: “Passenger with our @JackJamesRyan on ITV1 and ITVX! with a popcorn emoji.
