Coronation Street’s Jodie Prenger reveals how late pal Paul O’Grady inspired huge new job
JODIE is taking on a huge new role for one night only
CORONATION Street star Jodie Prenger has revealed how late pal Paul O’Grady inspired her to take her latest role.
The actress – who plays Glenda Shuttleworth in the ITV soap – is leading a concert performance of musical Gypsy to raise money for the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.
And now she’s opened up about how Paul, who sadly died last year, pushed her into taking the role of Mama Rose in the iconic show.
She is teaming up with the likes of Corrie co-star Peter Gunn Emmerdale’s Tom Lister and EastEnders star Harriet Thorpe for the performance at the Manchester Opera House this weekend.
And it’s all come together because of the late Lily Savage legend.
Jodie said: “There’s a 25-piece orchestra and it’s just, lyrically, its ones of Sondheim’s just brilliant pieces and I’ve always wanted to-do a Sondheim, selfishly, but I think this came about with the boys.
“I don’t know how much people know, but it came about… he still had his ore in!… Paul O’Grady said I should do it. So, it’s one of the shows that they decided to-do.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, they were talking about it, and he says, ‘our Jodie’, he always calls us, ‘our Jodie should do it’. So, it’s kind of a bit of a nod to him, but we just want to raise lots of money to keep them going because they are brilliant.”
Jodie added: “Well, I’ve been involved with Hope Mill for a bit.
“We did Jonathan Harvey’s Hushabye Mountain there, and then got involved with Maureen Lipman doing a fundraiser there. “They are just two boys that just get it, they don’t want it for the big country house, they want it for the community, they want to keep theatre going and they want to keep Manchester as a big creative hub for new theatre and celebrating the old theatre.
“So hence why I look like this! Do you know, I put my hair up, I curled my hair for today, like I do for the girls, and I’ve been rehearsing this morning.
“I can’t keep up with the kids! They were doing all these Broadway numbers but, look, they’ve raised a lot of money so far but it’s just ploughing through for those tickets.
“It is just to keep that creative hub. But they are great, the fellas at Hope Mill, they really are.”
Tickets for Sunday’s (25 February) concert are available from Hope Mill Theatre.
