As her six month contract on the show drew to a close, the producers announced they’d like to keep her on – but only on the condition that she took a pay cut.
Kym, who came from a background of poverty and had previously raised two young children on just £80 per week, was unwilling to compromise financially again.
Though she was “gutted” that it spelt the end to her West End stint, she decided to walk away – and ultimately, her public comments about her passion for Coronation Street helped find her a new career.
Just two years later, she began a 13-year stint as Michelle Connor on the ITV soap – and after that, the glitz and glam of Strictly beckoned, bringing her to where she is today.
She’d previously told the Standard ominously: “‘I’m not the sort of person to fade away quietly.”
