People used to say they hated mé and an OAP even hit me... at least it's clear that Corrie is not real now

She barely looks old enough but Jane Danson has spent the best part of three decades on the Coronation Street cobbles playing colourful Leanne Battersby.

- VICKI GRIMSHAW

From drug addiction, prostitution, insurance fraud and abortion to countless affairs, three weddings and two divorces, Leanne has given Jane's acting muscles a thorough workout.

"Leanne is gobby and strong and been through a lot, which has made her resilient. She has fire in her belly which has made her fun to play," says Jane, 45.

"I never imagined what Corrie would bring and I have had some great storylines in those 27 years." But Jane still has a long way to go to catch up with show stalwarts Bill Roache, 91, who has played Ken Barlow since the first episode in 1960, and Barbara Knox, who plays Rita Tanner.

Barbara, who joined in 1962 and is the world's longest serving female TV soap star, celebrated her 90th birthday last year.

"It's just incredible that they are both still working, isn't it?" says Jane. "And they both look so young. Bill practically runs down the corridors at work! "I grew up with them both as a viewer and actor, and always feel safe with them around. They are so supportive, you can talk to them about anything."

Jane was just 18 when she first set foot on the cobbles when the infamous Battersbys joined in 1997. Nothing could have prepared her for the spotlight when Leanne, her step-sister Toyah, step-mum Janice and feckless dad Les hit the street as a working class "family from hell".

"The Street was in a very different place back then, with a small cast and long-established characters. Then this rough family came in behaving terribly and everyone hated them," she recalls." "People wrote to me all the time saying: 'We hate you. Leave our street!' "I was just a girl from Bury who had done a few bits of acting, so as an 18-year-old that was a big shock.