Former ‘EastEnders’ actress Jacqueline Leonard is doing a soap switch-a-roo, and will arrive on ‘Coronation Street’ in February.
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Jacqueline’s arrival in the ITV series looks set to cause serious trouble for the Armstrong-Windass family (because, y’know, they haven’t even had enough drama lately), as she’ll be playing Katy and Izzy Armstrong’s estranged mum, Linda.
Katy and Izzy haven’t seen their mum in years after she left them when they were kids - or so they’ve been led to believe.
Jacqueline Leonard
In fact, Linda's arrival on the cobbles will throw up some questions for her daughters, and it turns out their dad, Owen, may have been a bit economical with the truth, when he told them what happened to their mother.
‘Corrie’ producer Stuart Blackburn says: “Linda's arrival will have a devastating affect on how Owen's family see him and he'll have the fight of his life to hold on to everyone and everything he holds dear.
"The sins of the father really will visit Owen's children."
The actress has also said: “I love the Northern wit and humour along with the drama and tension that the wonderful scripts of ‘Coronation Street’ encapsulate. So excited to start!”
It was recently announced that Ian Puleston-Davies, who plays temperamental builder Owen Armstrong, would be leaving the soap next year, though viewers were assured there'd be plenty of drama before his departure.
Before taking on the role of Linda, Jacqueline was known for playing Lorraine Wicks in ‘EastEnders’ in the 1990s.
She isn’t the only former soap star to defect to ‘Coronation Street’, after the announcement that ‘Emmerdale’ veteran Claire King was Weatherfield-bound, playing an old friend of Liz McDonald’s who quickly sets her sights on Nick Tilsley.