Catherine Tyldesley changed hair to ease Corrie fame

Catherine Tyldesley freed herself from her \'Coronation Street\' fame by dying her hair brown.

The 36-year-old actress - who has four-year-old son Alfie with husband Tom Pitford - left her role as Eva Price over a year ago and although she has always loved meeting \'Corrie\' fans a simple hair colour change from blonde to brunette meant that she stopped being recognised so much for her soap stardom.

However, since signing up for \'Strictly Come Dancing\' and appearing on screens in Derren Litten\'s new comedy \'Scarborough\' Catherine now gets people coming up to her to speak about those shows.

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In an interview with the latest issue of New! magazine, she spilled: "I dyed my hair as soon as I left \'Corrie\' and that instantly stopped the Eva connection, funnily enough. It was so bizarre. Now I\'ve been lucky to have done a couple of big shows like \'Scarborough\', so that\'s kind of flipped. I love \'Corrie\' but it\'s great that people see me as other characters."

Catherine has been partnered with pro Johannes Radebe on \'Strictly\' and since she began her journey on the BBC ballroom programme she has had countless messages of support from her former \'Corrie\' co-stars.

And Georgia Taylor - who plays Toyah Battersby - has been down to the studio to cheer her on and Jane Danson, who portrays Eva\'s half-sister Leanne Battersby, is also going to come to a \'Strictly\' live show to see her strut her stuff.

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When asked if any of her former castmates had been in touch, Catherine said: "Yeah, it\'s been amazing, they\'ve all sent good luck messages. We\'ve had so much support which means a lot. Georgia Taylor came into rehearsals the other day to say hello. She\'s a huge fan of \'Strictly\'. Jane Danson is coming too. I had to have the sisters down!"