Vicky Myers disclosed that her marriage ended the same year she received a skin cancer diagnosis, forcing her to postpone her aspirations to become an actress.
Vicky Myers, a Coronation Street star, has previously discussed her terrifying experience with cancer while going through a difficult divorce. Vicky was forced to postpone her acting dreams after receiving a diagnosis during the turbulent year of her separation. She had severe financial difficulties and turned to taking on ironing job as a way to make ends meet. For two years, she chose office job over the demanding audition circuit in order to focus on raising her teenage daughter Meghan.
However, Vicky’s fortitude was evident, and she not only has a regular spot in the Corrie cast but also plays a crucial part in the suspenseful Joel Deering plot. Although DS Swain is her fourth appearance on the venerable ITV series, this is the first time she has established herself as a mainstay, so her road to success has not been easy.
Vicky told the Mirror about her struggles with illness and her renewed love for life, breaking her silence on the subject.
Vicky admitted, “I don’t know if it’s my previous medical history, but I am so proud to be here and just to be living each day to the full,” according to the Daily Record. “When my spouse and I broke up, I was pretty down, bitter, and vengeful, and when I found out I had [cancer], I remember thinking, ‘If this is it for me, I’ve missed out on all this time with my daughter and I haven’t really been the best person that I wanted to be,'” she said, looking back on her previous struggles.
For the past three years, Vicky, 48, has appeared on our screens sporadically as the powerful DS Swain, exploring Stephen Reid’s terror reign and his acid attack on Daisy Midgeley. But now that teenaged Lauren Bolton has vanished, the heads of soap operas have elevated her to a full-time position, bringing her into the spotlight when she arrested Roy on suspicion of murder.
This is in sharp contrast to 2010, when she became a single mother after having her entire world turned upside down. A few months later, she was accompanying her nephew to a doctor when doctors happened to notice an odd mark.
She says, “My nephew has a heart condition.” “The doctor inquired, ‘Can I inspect that mark on your leg?’ as we were about to go. I was admitted to the hospital in five days. That day, I was wearing combat trousers that came up to my knees. Because of the intense heat on this June day, I rolled them up into shorts in the car right before the consultation. The thought that the doctor would never have spotted the small dark stain on my leg if it had been a gloomy day is really amazing. That day, I definitely had a guardian angel watching over me.”
When Meghan’s skin cancer was diagnosed by medical authorities, her ex-partner helped take care of their daughter while Meghan recovered from reconstructive surgery. She made an attempt to go back to auditions after six months, but by 2013, she had given up on her acting career due to constant rejection.
“I felt financially, mentally and physically I needed a break just to breathe,” she says. “It was hard being an actress. Sometimes I didn’t get cast in a movie, or the phone didn’t ring. I had to do everything, including ironing people’s clothes, to pay the bills since it was so stressful. You convince yourself that now is not the right time, but when you have expenses and kids, it doesn’t make things any easier.”
Vicky got a job at a casting house where she watched other people try out for roles. She says, “I knew I was going to come back.” Naturally, I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘I need to have a full-time, permanent job.'” However, I didn’t. Although others may consider it foolishness or conceit, I could never have been satisfied with a full-time office job.”
Her big break came in 2016 when she was cast in the Harlan Coben series The Five. She then went on to star in Ackley Bridge and The Long Shadow on Channel 4.
Her greatest ambition, though, had always been to appear on Coronation Street. Vicky, who is from Stockport in Greater Manchester, says: “People in the North ask, ‘Oh, have you been in Coronation Street?’ the moment you tell them you’re an actress. I may say that I have now. Walking down the cobblestones on my first day, I thought to myself, ‘I recognise you.’ It seems like home because I’ve watched the show my entire life.”
Her ambition stemmed from her background as the daughter of Stockport pub landlords. She worked in telesales after graduating from high school, and by the time she was twenty, she had been married and had a kid.
She reflects, saying, “After that, I worked at a bar, as a server, and as a cleaner, among other occupations. However, while I held my baby, I wondered, “Do I ever want to tell her, when she’s older, that I wish I had done this?” You set a good example, thus I made the decision to bring this dream to pass. I located the phone number of an acting and modeling agency by picking up a copy of the Yellow Pages.”
It was the episode where Des died, and I was portraying a nurse. It was an amazing pleasure to watch Denise and pick up the vocabulary and manners; money cannot purchase that kind of experience.”
She returned to the show on multiple occasions, most notably in 2007 in the role of a paramedic and in 2010 when she helped Tyrone Dobbs after a vehicle accident. Vicky didn’t give up easily, even if she didn’t immediately land a regular gig. She frequently skipped vacations and nights out in order to pursue her acting ambitions.
Now that her daughter Meghan is 28 years old and a teacher, Vicky is in awe of her career choice. She also related a funny story of how Kelly Neelan was caught in the middle of a hate crime plan by her character, Swain.
“When Swain arrested Kelly Neelan for the hate crime storyline, I got shouted at in the street for arresting the wrong person,” Vicky says with a laugh.
“It helped me realize how big Coronation Street is and how devoted its audience is to this beloved program. Although it has taken some time for me to arrive, this is truly a “dream come true.”
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