VICKY Myers has been a part of our lives playing the role of DS Swain on Coronation Street for three years.

The actress first joined the long-running ITV soap as part of the gruesome acid attack storyline.

Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) and Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) faced the wrath of stalker, Justin Rutherford (Andrew Still).

DS Swain (Myers) was on hand in the aftermath to investigate the incident in May 2021.

Since then, Coronation Street bosses have made her a full-time character and a mainstay on the soap.

Recent scenes have seen her play a vital role in the storyline surrounding Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) and Joel Deering (Calum Lill).

However, life wasn’t always easy for the 48-year-old actress who previously revealed that she received a devastating cancer diagnosis.

This was in the same year as her split from her husband, which forced her to put her acting ambitions on hold.

Vicky previously told The Mirror: “I don’t know if it’s my previous medical history, but I am so proud to be here and just to be living each day to the full.

“When my husband and I split up, I was quite down, bitter and vengeful, and when I was told I had [cancer], I remember thinking, ‘If this is it for me, I’ve missed out on all this time with my daughter and I haven’t really been the best person that I wanted to be.’

“The diagnosis re-centred me and made me focus on what is really important and what makes me happy. Now, every time I go into work and see the Coronation Street sign, it’s quite overwhelming.”

Her stint as DS Lisa Swain is the fourth character she has played on the serial drama, but it’s her first as a main character.

Although the actress is enjoying life more than ever now, her world was turned upside down in 2010.

Vicky previously accompanied her nephew to an appointment at the doctors.

The medical professionals noticed a strange mark on her leg, and it was this chance encounter that saved her life.

“My nephew has a heart condition. As we were about to leave, the doctor asked, ‘Can I examine that mark on your leg?’ Within five days I was hospitalised,” she admitted.

“I had on three-quarter length combat trousers that day. They can be rolled up into shorts, which I did in the car just before the consultation, due to the sweltering heat of the June day.

“It’s quite astounding to consider that if it had been a gloomy day the doctor would never have noticed the small dark mark on my calf. I certainly had a guardian angel looking out for me that day.”

Doctors discovered that she had skin cancer, and Vicky was forced to have reconstructive surgery as her former partner helped to look after their daughter, Meghan.

It was half a year later when she attempted to audition for roles again, but she had grown tired of the relentless rejections.

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In 2013, she admitted that she chose to abandon her aspirations for a career as an actress, saying: “I felt financially, mentally and physically I needed a break just to breathe.

“Being an actress was tough. Sometimes the phone didn’t ring, or I wasn’t chosen for a role. It was incredibly stressful and I did whatever it took to pay the bills, even ironing for others.

“You tell yourself it’s not your time yet, but that doesn’t make things easier when you have children and bills I just couldn’t make it work.”

She then found a job in a casting house where she observed others as they auditioned for various roles.

I am so proud to be here and just to be living each day to the full.

Vicky Myers

This inspired her to keep going with her passion, as she stated: “I knew I was going to return.

“Of course, I kept thinking, ‘I need to secure a permanent full-time job’. But I didn’t. Some might label that as stupidity or arrogance, but I would never have been content full-time in an office job.”

Her break came in 2016 when she landed a role in the Harlan Coben helmed series, The Five.

This was followed by roles on Ackley Bridge on Channel 4 and The Long Shadow alongside the likes of David Morrissey and Toby Jones.

However, the ultimate dream from the Manchester native was to appear on Coronation Street.

Vicky – who comes from Stockport – admitted: “In the North, as soon as you mention you’re an actress, people inquire, ‘Oh, have you been in Coronation Street?’

“Now I can affirm I have. On my first day, I strolled down the cobbles and I thought, ‘I recognise you.’ I’ve grown up watching the show, so it feels like home.”