Jodie Prenger is 'so glad' she didn't have to audition for Coronation Street

Jodie Prenger didn't have to audition for her role on 'Coronation Street.'

The 43-year-old actress - who won Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical talent search 'I'd Do Anything' back in 2008 and as a result played the role of Nancy in a West End production of 'Oliver!' - has now been cast as cruise ship singer Glenda Shuttleworth on the ITV soap opera but admitted she was "glad" to have just been offered the part because she "can't do auditions."

She said: "There was always murmur about it. I did a play called 'Hushabye Mountain' by the amazing ['Corrie' scriptwriter] Jonathan Harvey - I love that man. And it got talked about then. But I'm so glad that this is the one job I didn't have to audition for because I can't do auditions."

The Blackpool-born star - who since beating Jessie Buckley to the role of Nancy on the BBC series has gone onto further stage success with leading roles in shows such as 'Calamity Jane', 'Shirley Valentine' and 'A Taste of Honey' - went on to recall one particular audition that went awry because she couldn't pick up the accent.

Speaking on ITV's 'Loose Women' , she said: "When you really want something, it's weird. One audition I went for, the writer asked me to come in for it and I really wanted it. It was for a brilliant comedy. No word of a lie - the writer said 'Can you do a Birmingham accent?' and I said 'Yeah, of course!'. I got into the audition and I went to Skegness, Japan and I think I went via Australia as well. It was awful and I never got to Birmingham!"

Jodie's first scenes as Glenda - who is the sister of established character George Shuttleworth - are set to air on Friday 5 August at 8pm.