Jodie Prenger has fulfilled a lifelong ambition by joining the cast of Coronation Street. The 43-year-old actress will play Glenda, the 'fun and sassy' sister of undertaker George Shuttleworth.
Prenger began filming this week and described the role as a 'very special moment in my life'. Her character arrives in Weatherfield in August after working on cruise ships and quickly secures a job behind the bar of the Rovers Return.
The Blackpool-born star won the BBC talent show 'I'd Do Anything' in 2008, going on to play Nancy in Oliver! in the West End. She has since enjoyed a successful theatre career, including roles in Annie, One Man Two Guvnors, and the title role in Shirley Valentine.
Prenger will draw on her own experience as a cruise ship entertainer, having spent eight months aboard the Disney Wonder in 2001. Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod said: 'Glenda sails in fresh from the cruise ships with a whiff of the exotic... Jodie is a fabulous talent and we are all very excited to have her aboard.'
