The quiet Essex life of Michelle Keegan – job before fame, popstar ex, Mark Wright marriage, hidden battle and saving stranger’s life

It’s fair to say that Michelle Keegan’s rise to fame has been brilliant to watch. The Stockport-born star can currently be seen in Sky Comedy’s Brassic and on BBC One in the broadcaster’s new drama, Ten Pound Poms. And while all that is going out on air, she is busy filming her next big job, her first-ever role in a Netflix thriller.

Michelle grew up in Greater Manchester with her parents Michael Keegan and Jackie Turner and her younger brother Andrew. She attended St Patrick’s RC High School in Eccles and later the Manchester School of Acting, where fellow Coronation Street alumni Suranne Jones also studied.

But, before getting her first role, Michelle’s first jobs included working at Selfridges in the Trafford Centre on a make-up counter, having worked at various stores from the age of 15 to 20, and at Manchester Airport as a check-in agent.

Read more: The latest celebrity news from across Essex

Now, she lives a peaceful life with her husband Mark Wright, known for starring on TOWIE. The couple have bought a house here in Essex and are in the process of renovating and transforming the £3 million mansion into their dream home.

The now 35-year-old Michelle was offered the part of Tina McIntyre in Corrie in only her second-ever audition in 2007. She beat around 900 other people who auditioned. Tina made her ITV soap debut when she had a chance encounter with David Platt while her character was visiting the Rosamund Street Medical Centre.

During her time in Corrie Michelle won a host of British Soap Awards, including for Best Actress and Sexiest Female. The year after leaving, Michelle landed her next big role in the BBC’s drama Ordinary Lies. in which she played Tracy Shawcross. That same year, the former soap star announced her biggest role to date, as she landed a part in Our Girl, playing Corporal Georgie Lane, which aired in 2016.

Away from the small screen, Michelle had her own collection with Lipsy before joining the team at Very, where she continues to release clothing and homeware ranges.

Yet despite her success, Michelle recently shared the hidden battle she faces. Speaking to The Sun, she said: “When I first started on Corrie, and I’ve still got it a little bit now: imposter syndrome. I know a lot of people talk about it. I was only 19 and it was my second-ever audition. I went into the audition and I had not an inkling I was gonna get the job.

“I purely went to see what it was like in an audition room and meet directors and stuff – I didn’t think for a second I was going to get the job. When I did get the job, it was like: ‘Okay, what the hell do I do now?’ I remember walking into the green room and seeing certain chairs, and I was like: ‘Am I allowed to sit in a chair, or is that someone’s chair?’ I didn’t know… I was the outsider, I didn’t understand where I fitted in at all.”

In her personal life, Michelle is happily married to Mark Wright, with the couple tying the knot back in May 2015 after getting engaged in 2013, following nine months of dating. They got married at St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmonds before finishing the celebrations at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk, in a marquee within the picturesque grounds.

Before dating Mark, Michelle had another serious relationship with The Wanted musician Max George. The pair became engaged in 2011 but ended their relationship the following year.

Since marrying Mark, Michelle has regularly shared insights into their lives together down south but she still visits her friends and family in Manchester on a regular basis. But while London and the surrounding areas are known for their love of pie and mash, this isn’t right for Michelle.

The star admits that there’s nothing she loves more than chips and gravy – a classic northern delicacy. Despite revealing when she’s in Essex she gets “itchy feet” and heads up north and “vice versa,” Michelle explained: “I don’t understand why you can’t get chips and gravy down south.

However, despite growing up in the public eye, Michelle admits that she no longer enjoys the celebrity lifestyle and has taken a step back from the celeb culture. She explained: “I stopped enjoying it as much and I wanted a bit more privacy, it was just a thing that slowly happened where I grew the confidence to say that I wanted to keep some things to myself.”

While Michelle and Mark opt to keep a low profile, they share updates with fans on the transformation of their Essex mansion, with Mark explaining they were blown away by fan interest.

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