Coronation Street icon Sally Lindsay has recalled discovering her car had been "burnt out" in a random attack that took place as she celebrated getting her job on the soap. The actress, 52, had spent many years driving around the country on various theatre tours before her big break in television.
Car destroyed after celebrating Corrie role
In 2001, Lindsay landed the part of Rovers Return barmaid Shelley Unwin on Coronation Street. She was celebrating getting the job at a pub car park, only to return afterwards to find her reliable vehicle had been set on fire. The car had seen her through years of financial hardship.
She said on the Once Upon A Time podcast: "I remember when I got Coronation Street, I had an on-my-a**e car. It was blue and I called it Colin Bell - he was a Manchester City player. I used to break an egg in it instead of [using] Radweld, because it was cheaper, before you put the water in. I was really good at engines, you have to be when you're a touring actor."
She added: "I remember when I got Coronation Street, I left it in the pub car park, celebrating because I got the job - and some f****r burnt it out in the car park."
Keepsake from the burnt car
The former Loose Women panellist, who left Coronation Street in 2006 and has since starred in dramas like Cold Call and Number One Fan, and created The Madame Blanc Mysteries for Channel 5, could not even afford to have the vehicle removed from the car park. However, she still has one keepsake from it all these years later.
Speaking on the podcast, she said: "I've still got the keys to him now. That bloody car took me all round the country, to every theatre when I was on tour! I came back and it was burnt out. I just went, 'Oh f***!' And then I walked away because I'd have to pay to have it removed and I hadn't been paid yet. So I just scarpered. The good thing about having a s*** car is it doesn't get nicked, it just gets firebombed!"
Coronation Street storyline and departure
During her time on Coronation Street, Lindsay's character was at the centre of a high-profile domestic abuse storyline at the hands of Charlie Stubbs, who was eventually murdered by Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford). Shelley also married bigamist Peter Barlow before leaving to manage a pub in the Lake District.
Lindsay was recently joined by former co-star Suranne Jones, who played Karen McDonald, on her podcast A Night In With Sally Lindsay. She explained to her friend why she left the soap: "So, when I started Coronation Street in 2001 and then it was me, you and Jennifer James [who played Geena Gregory], a dear friend of ours. We were the trio at Coronation Street but when you left, I was really bored so I left! Everyone thinks it was this big career move, but, I just missed my mates!"
Not watching Corrie since leaving
Last year, Lindsay told The Mirror that she had not watched Coronation Street since she left. When asked why, she explained: "Because I was in them, so you tend to not bother when you leave." Back in 2018, she revealed that she could not face watching the show any more because so much had changed, and almost 10 years later, she had stuck to her decision. She said then: "I don't actually watch Corrie. It's difficult watching it as it's changed so much – it's like looking back at an old place of work."
