Real-life Street siblings - ‘WE'RE A COUPLE OF BAD GUYS!'

Coro star Jack knew the perfect girl for the soap’s new villain – his sister Rebecca

- Judy Kean

When Rebecca Ryan landed the part of scheming Lydia Chambers on Coronation Street, there was another cast member she could immediately turn to for advice on how to handle playing a villain on the popular TV show.

Her younger brother Jack James Ryan had joined the long-running soap just 10 months earlier to play drug dealer Jacob Hay and was only too happy to share his insights into being a Coro bad guy. And he’s full of praise for her portrayal of nasty Lydia, who has wreaked havoc on the marriage of ex-boyfriend Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) and Sarah Barlow (Tina O’Brien).

“I know first-hand how hard it is for the fans to get behind the villains, but she deserves all the love,” says Jack, 25. “I’m so proud of her, she’s been killing it. If you hate Lydia, then you know that she is doing an incredible job. She couldn’t be any less like her character in real life – she’s literally an angel.”

Rebecca, 30, says even her fiancé, pilot Dan Acraman, has been shocked by how convincing she is in her role. “He sits next to me when Coronation Street is on and goes, ‘Oh, my God, Becca, you’re horrible.’ I say, ‘I know, but it’s not me.’ I’m the opposite to Lydia. I’m the most laid-back person. I just try to let things go.”

She’s now been written out of Coro, but it’s been fantastic to play a character she can get her teeth into and being in such an iconic show at the same time as her brother has been the icing on the cake.

“It was a dream come true, but a total coincidence,” says Rebecca, who unfortunately didn’t get to share any scenes with her brother.