Kimberly Hart-Simpson bases herself on ‘Coronation Street’ legend Bet Lynch.
The 33-year-old actress recently joined the ITV soap as Nicky Wheatley, but if she could play another cobbles character for a day she would choose to be Julie Goodyear’s alter-ego, who Kimberly portrayed in stage show ‘Coronation Street Live’.
She said: "She is my icon, and I slightly based myself on her – I don’t know if you can tell.
"She’s so smart and sexy, but also quick-witted; she knows herself and she’s totally unapologetic for it.
"I think that’s definitely the sort of person I want to play."
Another ‘Corrie’ star who Kimberly thinks is "quick-witted" is her co-star Rob Mallard (Daniel Osbourne), and the actress has become good pals with him from working together in Weatherfield.
She said: "He’s naughty. Rob doesn’t give much away about himself until you get to know him, but once you do, you’ll never forget him.
"We were filming with each other for 10 hours the other day, and still went on FaceTime for two hours afterwards.
"Rob is very funny. Perhaps not everyone would think that because of his character on the show, but he’s actually one of the most quick-witted and kind-hearted people I’ve met."
Kimberly recently admitted she was "worried" ‘Corrie’ bosses might axe her storyline, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: "I was a bit worried, especially playing a sex worker.
"I thought, ‘Will they cut this storyline because it just can’t happen right now?’
"It was a bit scary as I’d worked so relentlessly to get here, but I knew that there’s always a bigger picture to be considered.
"Luckily, ‘Corrie’ bosses were true to their word, and fully committed to this story."