Tragedy was something Coronation Street‘s Jenny Connor knew all too well during her four decades on the cobbles. Trauma, grief, heartbreak – the poor girl really went through the wringer. Thankfully for Street legend Sally Ann Matthews, who played her, the word has taken on a much happier meaning.

Inside Soap favourite Sal has joined the cast of the musical Here & Now, featuring the songs of pop superstars Steps, so while there’s still ‘Tragedy’ in her life, it’s because she’s belting out the banger of the same name on stage every night…

“It’s a dream job!” grins the star, who joins Inside Soap‘s Soap Scoop podcast for a catch-up shortly before a matinee performance of the popular show, which is touring the UK and Ireland until May.

“I’m a lifelong Steps fan and love musical theatre. When my agent asked me, I said yes straight away. I’ve known Claire Richards from the band for 20 years and she actually suggested me for the job.”

Here & Now tells the story of a group of four friends through a summer of love. The pals all work in Better Best Bargains supermarket, run by the pretentious Patricia, who Sally Ann is having a ball bringing to life.

Meanwhile, Coronation Street aired Jenny’s final scenes in October last year following two eventful stints. Introduced as Rita’s foster daughter in 1986, Jenny went from stroppy teenager to eventually becoming landlady of the iconic Rovers Return, after reprising the role in 2015 following a 20-year gap.

The death of her abusive dad Alan, the tragic loss of young son Tom, numerous doomed relationships and brushes with danger – Jenny’s life in Weatherfield was certainly never dull. In fact, you could say she was cursed…

“We were getting to the point where all the actors thought if they were put in a storyline with Jenny, they’d be dead!” muses Sal. “Jenny literally lost the love of her life every Super Soap Week for about three years on the tro

“I don’t know how that girl got out of bed. And she’d been held hostage four times in the Rovers!”

When the time came to say goodbye to her alter ego last October to make room for the Driscolls’ era in the Rovers, Sally Ann candidly admits she was ready to rest the character she’d played on and off since she was 15.

“Both of us needed a break,” she confesses. “Her story had come to a natural end. Jenny couldn’t have stayed running the Rovers on her own and didn’t have any family around her once Daisy left, apart from Rita.”

“Jenny’s stories really quietened down in my last 18 months,” she continues. “It had been relentless before that so it got a bit frustrating. But it’s still a full-on job, and I was away from my home in London staying in my Manchester flat, so when I stopped it was good to just breathe.

“And I loved Jenny’s exit, it was beautifully written by Debbie Oates who I’ve known for years. Jenny had a moment of reflection and thought there was more to life. Doing Here & Now has re-energised me, hopefully the same is happening to Jenny. She deserved some happiness.”