Michelle Keegan: ‘I’m Learning To Be Unapologetically Me’

The reason for this change? As Keegan announced on Instagram at the end of December – to the tune of 1.2m likes – she’s expecting her first baby with husband Mark Wright. And, while it’s an unbearable cliché to describe a pregnant woman as glowing, she does appear to have some kind of internal lighting system as she shrugs off her coat to reveal a bump popping out between her cropped white tee and low-slung grey joggers (from her own collection for Very).

Having started out in Coronation Street, appearing on the soap from 2008 to 2014, the tabloids lost their minds when Keegan married The Only Way Is Essex star Wright. Since their 2015 wedding she has been relentlessly grilled about when they’re going to have children – something she regrets talking about in her twenties.

'Around the time we got married, I was open about the fact that I wanted to have a family but then, because we didn't choose to have children within a certain time, there was lots of speculation,' she sighs. It was reported that their relationship was on the rocks. 'And we can handle that but, at one point, there was a story every week. My family was asking me about it, so I made the decision to not talk publicly about that side of my life. I’m going to be 38 this year and, as I’ve got older, I feel more confident about my boundaries.'

Having said that, she’s unguarded today. Perhaps recent professional success has allowed her to feel - after years of impostor syndrome - that she has nothing to prove.

Keegan says there are misconceptions that come with being in a soap. 'There will always be snobbery, but soap actors work so fast, with different directors and pages of scripts to learn.’ It’s like bootcamp, she says, practical and intense. 'I may not have gone to drama school but Coronation Street was my training ground.'

That desire to prove herself presumably diminishes with each success she clocks up. Last year, she starred in Netflix thriller Fool Me Once, which is now in the top 10 most streamed shows on Netflix ever (yes, ever). 'That was a pinch-me moment,' she says. 'I can’t get my head around the numbers; it’s never gonna sink in.' Even by the standards of Harlan Coben adaptations (which always do well thanks to his loyal fanbase), it was a global sensation.

'It was all I thought about over that Christmas. And when it came out on New Year’s Day, I couldn’t watch it. I saw one review that wasn’t very nice and I just turned my phone off.' For the whole day? 'Yeah, head in the sand. That’s how I handle life,' she laughs. Eventually she watched it with Wright and, when he turned to her at the end, there were tears in his eyes. 'I was like, “What are you crying for?!” But he knew how nervous I'd been and he was so proud.’

The daughter of a police officer and a school dinner lady, Keegan describes her background as ‘very normal, working class. I had no connection with this industry whatsoever, I’d never even met an actor before I was on Coronation Street.’ Acting wasn’t really considered a viable career option by her pragmatic parents. 'My dad took me for a drive during which he said, “Right. What do you want to do with your life?” He suggested uni or joining the navy. When I said I wanted to be an actor, he was like, “Michelle, come on. You need to get your head out of the clouds.”’ She pauses. ‘Six months later, I got Corrie.’

Her family are immensely proud of her, of course, as is her core group of friends, all from school in Manchester. She credits much in her life to that strong foundation - not least her marriage. ‘Mark and I feel lucky to work in this industry, but it doesn't dominate our lives,’ she says. ‘We dip our toe in, then step back to normal life. It’s very boring and probably quite basic, but that’s how I like it.’

The idea that their life is ‘normal and boring’ could sound disingenuous on paper. ‘I know it probably doesn’t look like that,’ she admits. ‘In the press, at awards or on Instagram, it might look polished from the outside…’ The renovation of the Essex mansion that she and Wright share with their 14-year-old chihuahua, Pip, was documented on Instagram @wrightyhome. And it’s hard to imagine it looking anything other than polished. 'Honestly, when I left this morning it was upside down, a complete mess,' she insists. 'When I get home, if Mark hasn’t cleaned it, I’ll probably have a go at him and then do it myself.’

She says the secret to their marriage is being ‘best friends’, but also mutual respect and support. Wright spent over a year and a half in LA at one point, working on a US entertainment show, and Keegan worked in South Africa and Malaysia on the hit BBC drama Our Girl, so they’ve endured long spells apart. ‘We never make each other feel bad about being away for work,’ she says. ‘And even though there has been negativity surrounding that in the press, we never let it affect our relationship.' It’ll be their 10th wedding anniversary in May. Are they doing anything to celebrate? 'We talked about it last year, but obviously things have changed now. We’ve got new priorities.’

The couple’s solid upbringings will influence the kind of parents that they want to be. Although her mum is her ‘best friend’, she says discipline and respect are important, too. ‘Mum and Dad broke up when I was nine and my brother was seven, but it didn’t affect us on a personal level because we felt so loved,’ she says. ‘My dad was always very involved in my life. They put the children first, above their own needs - which is probably very difficult when going through a break-up. I don't know what they went through and I never will ask. That's their life. But they are great parents who gave us a great childhood. As long as a child feels loved and safe, you can't go far wrong.'

Despite reports that she’s having a boy, she insists they don’t know. Before the baby arrives, she’ll finish work on the seventh series of Brassic, Sky’s popular comedy series about a bunch of wayward mates, scraping a living in smalltown Lancashire. Will her pregnancy be a storyline? 'No, I’m just wearing lots of big jumpers and coats!’

After so many seasons, making the show feels like going home - not only metaphorically, but also literally. The Stockport-born star has an apartment in Manchester, so stays there during filming. 'All my friends and family are up there and I’m a homebird really,' she says. ‘It’s great timing because I’m getting to see everyone before the baby comes.'

This year is going to be all about home for the Keegan-Wright family. ‘I'm going to take a good chunk of time off to enjoy being a mum,' she says. 'I’m never normally at home in the summer, I’ve always been away working, so I can’t wait.’

After filming wraps on Brassic she will take maternity leave until the end of the year, when she begins work on 'a big new job’ (about which she’s been sworn to secrecy). Last year, she spent five months in Australia filming the second series of BBC period drama Ten Pound Poms, which returns next month. She plays Kate, an unmarried mother whose son was taken away at birth and sent to an Australian orphanage. Kate travels thousands of miles to find him, and an emotional showdown with his adoptive mother will have you sobbing on your sofa.

One thing Keegan’s never been afraid of is hard work. There’s a steely determination behind that warm smile, but also an endearing sense of bewilderment that she has managed to carve out a career doing exactly what she loves. ‘There's an element of being in the right place at the right time,’ she says, ‘but you have to work hard as well. You can’t just expect things to come to you.'

Having grafted since she was 20, Keegan is moving into a new era. On the cusp of matrescence, she’s aware that this year will be something of a watershed. ‘I used to panic if I had a long gap in-between jobs, thinking I'll never work again,’ she says. ‘But I’m getting better at trusting the process, trusting my instincts and saying no to what’s not right for me.’ Learning to say no is a skill that still eludes many of us. 'It's taken years,’ she admits, ‘and it’s still hard. I’ve always been such a people pleaser. But now I’m learning to be unapologetically me.’

‘Ten Pound Poms’ will return to BBC One in March. Series one is available now on BBC iPlayer

MAIN IMAGE - Photographer: Danny Lowe. Stylist: Sophie van der Welle. Hair: Harold Casey. Makeup: Emily Clarkson at Creatives Agency. Photographer Assistant: Chester Lewis. Stylist Assistant: Jasmine Dunne. Michelle wears: Jumper, Baserange; Vintage jeans, stylist's own; Jewellery, Michelle's own.