Matilda Freeman, the original actress who played Summer Spellman on Coronation Street, has opened up about her decision to leave the ITV soap in 2020. The character, who arrived on the cobbles in 2017, was later recast with Harriet Bibby taking over the role.
Freeman, now 20, appeared in 147 episodes before departing. In a 2021 Instagram Q&A, she explained that her contract with the soap prevented her from taking on other roles. “When you work at Corrie you’re under a contract which means you can’t work on anything else while you’re there – so it was quite limiting,” she said.
Since leaving, Freeman has appeared in BBC’s Alma's Not Normal (2021) as teenage Lin and played Lil in the 2024 ITV drama Passenger. She also has a role in the upcoming Netflix series How To Get To Heaven From Belfast.
Fans have noted her transformed appearance, with Freeman swapping her blonde hair for a striking auburn shade. Recent photos from a screening event drew comments calling her “breathtaking” and “so beautiful.”
Freeman’s character Summer has been at the centre of recent storylines, grieving the death of her adoptive father Billy Mayhew, played by Daniel Brocklebank, who was killed off in the Corriedale episode earlier this month.
