When Julia Goulding joined the cast of Coronation Street last year, she couldn’t believe her luck as she’d always loved the ITV soap.
But there was another reason why the brunette beauty, who plays Shona Ramsey, was chuffed to bits.
It meant she would get to work alongside a long-standing Corrie actor she once had the hots for.
It turns out she used to fancy street stalwart Steve McDonald!
“When I was young and the McDonalds joined, I had a massive crush on Simon Gregson, who plays Steve McDonald,” the 32-year-old revealed to Star magazine.
The Corrie gig is Julia’s first TV role, as she only graduated from drama school five years ago, and she’s since been doing Shakespeare plays and TV voiceovers.
“It’s my dream job and I felt so happy to be here,” enthused the Mancunian, who grew up just down the road from the Corrie set and even once did the studio tour.
Read more: Coronation Street SPOILER: Shona confesses all as Clayton dies?
Now, many people would cower with embarrassment if they ever came face to face with one of their celebrity crushes. But not Julia.
In fact, she decided to bite the bullet and tell Simon exactly how she’d felt.
“When I told him, he laughed his head off!” she said of the married father of three.
So with that potentially awkward scenario dealt with, Julia can now concentrate fully on playing Shona – and it’s probably just as well, as the character is very much in the thick of things at the moment.
Not only did Shona have to deal with the stress of telling the Platts that she’s the mother of Kylie’s killer, Clayton Hibbs, she’s also embroiled in the whole Bethany Platt grooming story, as a previous victim of creepy Nathan Curtis.
Read more: Kym Marsh calls in cops as explicit pics are leaked online
But although the role has been challenging, Julia said it’s made easier by the fact that she bears similarities to her character.
“We’re both strong-willed and I’d definitely be friends with Shona in real life,” she revealed.
“[Although] I like to think I make better decisions than she does.”