Corontion Street’s Gemma Winter is one of the funniest characters to have ever walked the cobbles, and she often has us in stitches with her funny one-liners and hilarious antics.
However, things are about to get serious for our favourite funny girl as she finds out she’s pregnant with Chesney’s baby!
Here’s everything you need to know about Dolly-Rose Campbell, the actress who has played Gemma for the past four and a half years…
1. She was only meant to be in Corrie for six episodes!
Gemma first arrived on the cobbles on October 1, 2014 as an old friend of Kylie Platt. She was soon getting herself into trouble with pal Callum Logan as the pair terrorised the Platt family together.
However, viewers discovered that behind that big mouth and brash dress sense lies a heart of gold, and Gemma very quickly became a firm favourite with the fans.
Although bosses only initially signed up Dolly-Rose for six episodes, they saw her potential, and asked her to stay for longer. And she’s still in Weatherfield almost five years later!
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2. Dolly-Rose was a huge fan of Corrie before she joined the show
Dolly-Rose admits that she was a Weatherfield devotee before landing her role on the show – in fact, just days before she got the part, she was on a tour of the famous Corrie studios!
“I have always been a massive fan of Coronation Street,” she told the Sunday Post. “I’d had an audition before the tour, but I wasn’t expecting anything. So while we were walking round my friend said, ‘Imagine if you got a job on it’, and I was saying that would never happen.
“Just a couple of days later I got a call saying I had the part.”
3. She based Gemma on people she knows!
As much as we love watching Gemma, we’re not sure we’d want to know someone like her in real life! But Dolly-Rose has admitted that she’s based the character on people that she really knows.
“I think she’s brilliant, I really like her!” the actress told Lorraine, when the presenter asked what she thinks of her character.
“And I bring things to her that are based on people I know. Some of the things she does, or the way she would do stuff, is stolen from people. But I never tell them who I’ve stole what from!”
4. Dolly-Rose loves working with Barbara Knox
It’s one of the unlikeliest friendships in Weatherfield, but we can’t get enough of the brilliant banter between Gemma and her former landlady, Rita. And Dolly-Rose has loved getting to film scenes alongside her legendary co-star, Barbara Knox, aka Rita.
“Barbara is very experienced in the business, so I learn a great deal from her and how she works, especially the technical side of filming,” the star told the Radio Times. “It’s really nice to learn from someone as gifted as Barbara.”
5. She came out as bisexual
In February this year, Dolly-Rose opened up about her bisexuality after being announced as the new ambassador for Manchester Pride.
“I have been coming to pride for over a decade now,” she told the Daily Star. “The love and acceptance shown by the people of Manchester allowed me to accept my bisexuality, and be proud of who I am.
“The work that Manchester Pride does throughout the year to engage with and create opportunities in Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community and beyond makes a huge difference to so many people’s lives.”
6. She’s a multiple award-winner
Gemma is often sited as one of the the funniest characters on the cobbles – but don’t just take our word for it! Dolly-Rose has won multiple awards to prove it.
In 2017, she picked up the British Soap Award for the Best Comedy Performance, and she’s also won Funniest Female at the Inside Soap Awards twice!
7. Dolly-Rose looks nothing like Gemma in real life
Gemma’s dress sense is interesting, to say the least – she wears her clothes two sizes too small and ten shades too bright!
But head over to Dolly’s Instagram page, and you’ll see that her own style is a lot more understated than Gemma’s.
“We have a very different dress sense,” she admitted when she first started on the show.
8. In her spare time, Dolly-Rose enjoys knitting
Gemma’s idea of a hobby is probably seeing how many shots she can down in the space of a minute! But Dolly prefers to spend her spare time doing something much more sedate.
She’s admitted that she likes to get crafty when she’s not on set, and her favourite thing is knitting jumpers for her dog! We’re not sure we’d trust Gemma with a pair of knitting needles…
9. She used to work in a pizza restaurant
Dolly-Rose was living in a tower block and working in a well-known pizza chain when she won the role of Gemma. And she reckons that earning a regular wage on the soap has allowed her to afford her own home now.
“I never really had any money ever,” she told The Mirror back in 2016. “If I ran out I had to choose whether to put money on the gas or buy food.
“I’m not a millionaire now, but it’s a new thing to be able to afford to do those things. I’ve moved into a nice house with a garden, and I’ve got a car. And occasionally I think, ‘whose life am I living?’.”
Read more: 10 Facts about Coronation Street’s Sam Aston
10. She loves to travel
When she’s not working, Dolly loves to jet-set around the world, and posts lots of photos of her travels on her social media pages.
Recently she’s travelled to France and New York, where she enjoyed seeing the sights of Brooklyn and Coney Island.
When she’s not visiting other countries, Dolly can often be found bike riding around Manchester.
Who’s your favourite Corrie character? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know!