Coronation Street’s Ellie Leach is about to appear on screen in her first new role since quitting the part of Faye Windass on the ITV soap almost three years ago

Ellie Leach shot to fame on Coronation Street and then won Strictly Come Dancing(Image: ITV)

Former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach has revealed the “most challenging” part of her new television role. The actress, 24, made her name playing Faye Windass for over a decade but left in 2023 and has now landed her first on-screen acting job since quitting ITV’s flagship soap.

Ellie, who won Strictly Come Dancing shortly after leaving Coronation Street and then went on to appear in in a touring production of Cluedo 2 as a last-minute replacement for fellow Corrie star Helen Flanagan but will now be playing the part of “sassy” Mimi McQuinn in Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder, which returns on Tuesday night.

Speaking in a new video posted to Instagram, she said: “She’s not like anyone I’ve played before. Hello, I’m Ellie Leach and I am playing Mimi McQuinn. She’s very sassy, she’s giving boss and I loved it. She’s quite rude to people, so maybe that was the most challenging part. That’s also the most fun part. Deep down, she is quite a nice, normal person but this whole persona of being a star really comes out and I think that’s what I loved most about her character.”

In the comments section of her Instagram post, Ellie was flooded with support from her pals from the industry. Colson Smith, who played Faye’s on/off boyfriend Craig Tinker on Coronation Street, wrote: “Yeyyyyy! Go on Ellie,” whilst Angela Scanlon, who competed alongside Ellie on Strictly, left series of clapping hands emojis.

The crime drama has so far aired two series and a Christmas special, and stars Catherine Tydlesley, who recently made a return to Coronation Street as Rovers Return landlady Eva Price, and X Factor winner Shayne Ward, who previously played her fiancé Aidan Connor on the soap. Ellie was a fixture of Coronation Street from 2011 until 2023, having been introduced as the adoptive daughter of Anna Windass (Debbie Rush) and was involved in numerous high-profile storylines over the years.