Helen Flanagan says being a mum will not stop her from doing glamour shoots on or off screen as she prepares to make Coronation Street comeback
Actress previously claimed to she had the 'best boobs she had seen on anyone in the world'
AS the Street’s sassy vamp, happy to use her assets to get what she wanted, soap fans regularly saw a whole lotta Rosie Webster.
Even the actress who played the Corrie temptress loved to strip off, once declaring: “I have the best boobs I’ve ever seen on anyone in the world, ever.”
Now, after a five-year absence, Helen Flanagan is bringing Rosie back.
Helen may be older, wiser and a mum to 18-month-old Matilda, but she still has one thing in common with her character — she cannot wait to show off her body.
Helen, 26, told The Sun: “There is nothing wrong with doing lingerie shoots.
“I’ve always said the glamour model shoots I did were tasteful and fun.”
Rosie’s departure in 2012 was scripted as her going off to do glamour modelling and reality TV shows, mirroring Helen’s life.
Within months of leaving, Helen stripped off for lads’ mags including Nuts, Zoo and FHM, and was named the UK’s sexiest woman in 2013.
She also appeared on I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! in which she dazzled in a barely-there bikini.
As Rosie, she wore hot pants, corsets and stockings and suspenders — and fans can expect more of the same.
Happily admitting she is already hogging the Corrie make-up team, Helen also sent the wardrobe department ideas ahead of her return so they could work on Rosie’s image.
She said: “I always have the longest make-up time.
“I love going into work and feeling glamorous because when I am at home with Matilda I’m not glamorous at all.
“I sent them some ideas. I’ve got the best wardrobe. Everyone is jealous of my wardrobe.”
Despite Rosie’s popularity, Helen was not asked to reprise the role during her five years away.
Instead, she reached out to new producer Kate Oates.
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Helen has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, ADHD and bipolar disorder in the past.
When work dried up after I’m A Celebrity she began to be plagued by panic attacks so intense they left her fantasising about killing herself by driving into a wall.
With her and ITV keen to protect her mental health, she has only signed up for three months, although believes becoming a mum and taking a break from the limelight has helped her control her issues.
She added: “I would love to stay for a little bit longer. It works nicely with being a mum.”
Rosie’s comeback was engineered by Brooke Vincent, who plays her sister Sophie.
She approached bosses on behalf of Helen, who was “over the moon when they asked me, as I wanted to come back for a while”.
Helen, who is picking up £30,000 for her stint, played Rosie from the age of 11 and admits to being a diva in the past.
She said: “I’ve had a bit of an ego since I was about 16. I left when I was 21 and I’m 26 now.
"I’ve matured and I’ve got a little girl which gives you a purpose. I’m a lot happier.
“When I was younger I didn’t really appreciate what a good job I had.”
Brooke says Matilda “really changed Helen and made her more focused”.
She added of her pal: “I would say she is crazy but she is my friend, she is funny.
"She has a heart of gold.
“She gets up at five to get here for seven so she can have make-up done.
"I’ll roll in at quarter to eight and get 15 minutes. She’s very glam.”
Helen’s only concern about her cobbles comeback was leaving Matilda, who has just started nursery and is looked after by Helen’s mum the rest of the time.
She said: “It’s really difficult for any mum, no matter what the job is.
“It was my little girl’s first day at nursery the other day and I knew I’d cry but everybody does that.”
Fellow new mum Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva Price, is helping her balance motherhood and acting.
Like some of the other mums, Helen learns her scripts on set so she can “leave work at work”.
Being a working mum in Manchester means she only sees her long-term partner, footballer Scott Sinclair, at weekends as he trains every day with Celtic in Glasgow.
Their relationship has been rocky and they briefly split when he was accused of sexting another woman. Now Helen is determined not to lose their spark.
She said: “Every weekend I want us to be in Scotland.
"It’s only three hours’ drive.
"It’s important to us as a family to have those weekends.
"He’s been really supportive.”
Having a baby has not just changed Helen’s mindset — but also her body.
She has struggled to put on weight and had her thyroid tested to see if that would explain her rapid weight loss.
Helen, who apologised in 2013 for appearing to support pro-anorexia “thinspiration” pictures online, explained: “I have a fast metabolism.
"I can eat quite a lot and I don’t put any weight on which is good.
“I never get time to go to the gym.
"At the Corrie canteen I have two lunches and two desserts.
"I had my thyroid checked because I lost a lot of weight after having Matilda.”
After announcing her comeback, Helen revealed she was taking acting lessons to ensure she did not return rusty.
However, she is not ready to tackle any serious storylines yet, admitting she struggles with the turmoil of emotional plots.
She said: “I really enjoy playing the comedy and the fun. It takes a massive toll on you doing hard and difficult storylines.
“Rosie has come back a lot more likeable now which won’t be boring to watch but it’s easier to play.”
Despite Helen filling much of the last five years with reality TV appearances, Corrie was the only job that could tempt her away from her baby.
She said: “Coronation Street would be the only soap I’d ever do.
“I’d have probably just been a stay-at-home mum if they hadn’t asked me back.”