Kimberly Hart-Simpson admits even Coronation Street staff knew her name before landing dream role

Kimberly Hart-Simpson admitted the \'Coronation Street\' car park attendant knew her name before she landed her role.

The 33-year-old star - who recently joined the cast as sex worker Nicky Wheatley - spent a decade trying to land her dream role on the cobbles, and after countless her auditions she became a familiar face at the ITV soap\'s set.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Everyone knows me by name there, even the car park ­attendant. As I drove in for the audition, he said, \'You all right, Kimberly?\'

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"I thought, \'This is ridiculous, the car park attendant shouldn\'t know my name\'. I just had my heart set on it. I\'ve been watching it from the womb - I was brought up on it.

"My mum and dad weren\'t together, but every time I went to my dad\'s, even if he hadn\'t seen me for a month, he\'d still tell me to shut up if he was watching \'Corrie\'. It mattered that much to him. I think it mattered more than me."

After growing up a huge fan of the soap, Kimberly - who admitted her late father would have been overjoyed to see her working on his favourite programme - was stunned to meet her idols.

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Reflecting on the moment she met Barbara Knox (Rita Sullivan), she added: "She came up to me and started talking about cheese - there was no introduction.

"My head just exploded. She was ­acting really casually, so I had to act ­really casually, but straight afterwards I texted my mum to tell her."

Kimberly recently praised the soap for for creating "strong, powerful women" characters, insisting the show do an "incredible" job of making characters people look up to.

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She said: "Just these women for me as well. I think they gave birth to the strong, powerful women. Like these ones you\'ve never seen before. You\'re like, \'I want to be like them, I want to be her.\'

"What they do for women on that programme is incredible. I put my hands up and say, \'I\'ve always wanted to be a \'Coronation Street\' woman.\' I love other soaps and TV programmes, but \'Corrie\' is just in my blood."