Corrie's Samia Longchambon marks milestone in soap
Coronation Street's Samia Longchambon has celebrated a big milestone in her soap career, as she revealed that she has now been playing longstanding character Maria Connor for 24 years.
The star first appeared in Corrie on May 19, 2000. Maria made her debut in a scene with Tyrone Dobbs and Jack Duckworth when they brought Tyrone's dog, Monica, to the kennels where she was working.
Longchambon has now been on the cobbles for almost a quarter of a century, and she has marked the occasion by sharing a video clip on Instagram of her very first scene on Corrie and sharing some behind-the-scenes secrets.
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The actor revealed that she was "so nervous to be with the wonderful Bill Tarmey", who played Jack, joking that "I think it shows".
She added: "We filmed it on Easter Sunday and I remember being thrilled that I got a free Easter egg to take home on day 1! Imagine my first line being 'cobblers'."
The star went on to share that she is "super grateful to still be a part of this mighty show".
Longchambon's co-star Halsall, who she shared her first scene with, commented: "Amazing !!!! and here's to Many more Xxxxx". Her on-screen brother Andy Whyment, who plays Kirk Sutherland, said: "Ah love this Sam and here's to many more years as Maria xx".
The official Corrie Instagram account wished her a "Happy Corrieversary", while Sally Carman and Cherylee Houston, who play Abi Webster and Izzy Armstrong, also shared their love for their co-star.
Since joining the soap, Maria has had romances with characters including Tyrone, Jason Grimshaw, Nick Tilsley and Marcus Dent. She has also endured the death of her husband, Liam Connor, before going on to unknowingly enter a relationship with his killer, Tony Gordon.
More recently, Maria has been trying to seek help for her teenage son, Liam, after his bullying ordeal at the hands of Mason Radcliffe and Dylan Wilson. With Maria keen to watch Liam around the clock, her relationship with husband Gary Windass has been suffering – leading to a recent shock split.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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