Stephanie Davis has arrived in Coronation Street as Courtney Vance, the beautiful cougar with her sights firmly set on younger man Aadi Alahan!
Courtney’s definitely about to shake things up for Aadi.
Stephanie Davis, who plays vampy Mrs Vance, is delighted to be joining Coronation Street, after taking a break from acting for a few years to concentrate on being a mum to her six-year-old son, Caben.
So what’s Steph’s story?
Over the Rainbow!
Stephanie was a child star. She appeared on stage in shows including The Sound of Music and Annie before she shot to fame as a teenager when she took part in Over the Rainbow. The telly talent show was seeking someone to play Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz.
Steph didn’t win the competition – she got as far as the seventh round – but her talent attracted the attention of Hollyoaks casting bosses. Steph won the role of Sinead O’Connor and joined the soap in September 2010.
Stephanie Davis as Sinead in Hollyoaks
Sinead was at the heart of all sorts of dramatic storylines during her time in the village. These included some big stunts, hot romances – such as an affair with her stepdad, Tony! And a bit of comedy, too.
She fell in love with bad boy Bart McQueen and the pair ran away together because her stepmum Diane didn’t approve of their romance. Diane tracked them down and convinced Sinead to come home.
Moving on
Party girl Stephanie was often in trouble with Hollyoaks bosses. She would show up at work late after too many late nights. But when she rocked up on set still tipsy from the night before, in 2015, they decided enough was enough and Steph was sacked from the show.
Sinead was hurriedly written out and Steph said goodbye to Hollyoaks. At the time, her spokesperson said: “Stephanie’s contract was terminated following warnings for lateness, attendance and after a final incident in which she turned up to set unfit to work because of alcohol consumption.”
Celebrity Big Brother romance
Just a few months after waving goodbye to Chester, Stephanie went into the Celebrity Big Brother house in January 2016. In there she started a romance with model Jeremy McConnell.
However, their relationship was rocky from the start. Steph got pregnant and gave birth to son Caben Albi. After they broke up, McConnell was found guilty of assaulting Stephanie. He was given a suspended sentence, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service.
He was then sent to jail when he didn’t turn up for his community service, triggering his suspended sentence.
Mental health battles
In 2018, Stephanie returned to Hollyoaks. She won a British Soap Award for Best Actress at the 2019 ceremony after her portrayal of Sinead’s rape at the hands of her husband, Laurie.
Off-screen Steph was still struggling, however. In June 2020, she announced she was leaving Hollyoaks “with a heavy heart”, she also stated: “Sometimes we make decisions based not on what we want but what we know is right!”
She began making videos about her mental health issues where in 2020, she revealed she had been diagnosed with autism. She also talked about being suicidal and her battles with addiction.
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New adventures!
Now Steph’s joined the cast of Coronation Street as Courtney Vance, and at home things are also going well. She’s loved up with partner Joseph Mckalroy, and the couple have just enjoyed a sunny holiday together with little Caben.
Stephanie has also revealed her role on Corrie is a “dream come true”.
She recently told Entertainment Daily and other media: “I’m loving it. Everyone’s been so welcoming. I’ve settled in straight away.”
And Steph, who’s been in showbiz since she was a little girl, says it’s certainly something she’s wanted since she was a youngster!
“I wrote a poem when I was about 13 and it said ‘one day I will be on the cobbles of Coronation Street’ and my mum put it in her bedside drawer,” she tells us. “She got it out the other day. How amazing is that?”
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV.
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