EXCLUSIVE: Coronation Street’s Eva Price actress Catherine Tyldesley loves to make things happen – and credits manifesting with bringing her back to Weatherfield
Catherine Tyldesley likes to make things happen. Last October, the actress made a triumphant return to Coronation Street as Eva Price after manifesting her comeback so that she could spend more time with her beautiful children Alfie, 11, and Iris, four, and photographer husband Tom Pitfield.
“I’m a huge believer in goal-setting, having a vision board and believing in yourself because if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will,” says Catherine, 42. “Life is too short not to reach for the things that you want. We’re not here for very long so you’ve got to give it your best shot.”
The actress is a big believer in manifesting and credits focusing on her goals with bringing about her acting success. After she left Coronation Street in 2018, she appeared on shows such as 15 Days , Scarborough , Viewpoint , the stage musical Bonnie & Clyde and three series of the hit channel 5 show The Good Ship Murder among other roles on the TV and stage.
However, as juicy as these parts were, nearly all of them took her away from home and she missed her family. Fortunately, a return to Corrie was on the cards, and this time she would be in the iconic role of The Rovers Return’s landlady.
“I spent my childhood watching these iconic landladies,” says Catherine. “I remember when Michelle Collins was here as Stella being landlady of the Rovers and I was a barmaid and I was thinking, ‘Oh wow, you are the luckiest woman.’ And now I’m here. I’ve probably manifested it more than I realised all those years ago.”
Growing up, Catherine was mesmerised by Coronation Street icons like the formidable Bet Lynch, played by Julie Goodyear, and the unforgettable Raquel Watts, played by Sarah Lancashire. “I’m just a huge Raquel fan,” she says. “Sarah Lancashire is insanely talented but I’d say Bet is probably the most prominent landlady I can remember. I feel very, very, very privileged. They’re big shoes to fill but I’m trying.”
Filming The Good Ship Murder with her former Coronation Street co-star Shayne Ward was a fun job for Catherine. However, making the show in Malta meant spending long stretches of time away from Alfie and Iris. “Before Corrie , the majority of my work was away from Manchester,” she says. “So when I was invited back, it felt like perfect timing. It really does tick a huge box while the children are still young. Now, most weekends, I’m free to spend with the children. It’s been a game changer.”
Eva’s return to Coronation Street has involved some heavy storylines. She’s tackled topics ranging from abortion to child grooming, not to mention her daily battles with her monstrous mother-in-law Maggie, played by Father Ted legend Pauline McLynn.
Luckily, the moment Catherine returns home to her busy household, Eva’s troubles fly out of her mind. “I’ve got a 10-15 minute drive home,” she says, “and I’m quite conscious about putting some relaxing music on before I get home to the kids. The minute I walk in, the children are little puppies. They make me laugh and take my mind off things, no matter how heavy the storylines have been at work.”
During her precious family weekends, Catherine and Tom like to get outdoors and enjoy nature. “We just encourage the kids to be outside as much as possible for mental and physical wellbeing,” she says. “We try to teach the kids how important it is to fuel your body correctly and to be active and strong. It’s so important for mental or physical health.”
The Manchester native is the first member of her family to go into showbusiness. “I didn’t have any links to showbiz growing up,” she says. “I dined out on the fact that I had a secondhand violin that used to belong to one of Ken Dodd’s Diddymen. That was as close to fame as I got.”
Catherine hastens to clarify that her violin playing was “terrible”, however, she has a beautiful singing voice and her grandfather Jim, an amateur jazz singer, encouraged her growing up. But when she announced her dream of going to drama school, her family were surprised. “I think most of my family initially thought I was bonkers,” she laughs. “They were very supportive, but they still thought I was bonkers.”
Catherine has proved her acting credentials since and now, she’s nurturing her own children’s talents.
“Alfie’s a budding actor,” she says. “I’m 90% sure that Iris is going to go down the same road too. She’s always very close to a pair of tap shoes and a feather boa. I think they’re both creative.”
After finding fame in her twenties, Catherine is delighted to be entering a calmer, more confident era in her forties, one packed with new adventures. “What I’ve learned about myself in these past few years is that being challenged is key for me,” she says. “I need to be busy and I need to feel challenged.”
She’s also more comfortable turning down opportunities and puts her trust in her instincts. “I’m much better at saying no to things that I don’t want to do,” she says. “I try to go on gut instincts a lot more. When I was younger, I possibly ignored that sometimes and thought, ‘Oh no I should do this.’ Whereas now, if it doesn’t feel right then I decline.”
One thing Catherine’s glad she didn’t say no to is Strictly Come Dancing . She appeared on the show in 2019 and is delighted to see that her dance partner Johannes Radebe has been promoted to co-host alongside Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe.
“Johannes is the most incredible human,” she says. “My confidence was really low when I started the show and he made me believe in myself. It’s no surprise to me that he’s now at the forefront of Strictly and it’s so deserved. I can’t wait to watch.”
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