Nikki Sanderson – who plays Maxine Kinsella in Hollyoaks – has teased a possible return to Coronation Street.
Before joining Hollyoaks, Nikki starred as Candice Stowe on the cobbles from 1999 to 2005, and the star admits she is still recognised just as much for her Corrie days as she is for Hollyoaks.
Speaking on Lorraine, she said: “If I’m in the street I get 50 per cent of people shouting ‘Candice’ and 50 per cent shouting ‘Maxine’.”
Read more: Coronation Street SPOILER: Geoff tells Yasmeen a horrifying cancer lie
Stand-in host Christine Lampard asked: “Would it [Corrie] be something you could potentially go back to?”
“At the moment I’m definitely with Hollyoaks,” Nikki replied.
“But, Coronation Street will always have a special place in my heart. I love it and I love the people and I loved every second of it.
“So for me, I love Hollyoaks, I love Maxine, but I do love Corrie as well, it’s one of those: I couldn’t answer that.”
Nikki also admitted it has been “hard” reading so much “negativity” about her Hollyoaks character.
The 35-year-old star’s alter-ego Maxine Kinsella has wrongly told her new husband Damon Kinsella (Jacob Roberts) she only has six months to live.
However it has now been revealed she is suffering from Munchausen’s syndrome – a mental disorder in which someone acts as if they have a physical or mental illness when they’re not really unwell – so viewers are “understanding” her actions more.
She said: “I understand why there has been a lot of negativity and a lot of hate towards this.
“Because if you didn’t know she had Munchausen’s or you don’t know what Munchausen’s is then to everybody she is just this lying, deceitful, manipulative, horrible person who is trying to do all these things to get attention and love from Damon and the people around her.
“I can understand why people have been so negative about it.
“Now it’s been revealed she has Munchausen’s and more people are understanding the condition, people are more sympathetic towards her.
“Because they understand she’s not necessarily doing this because she’s evil, they’re doing this because she’s ill.
“So the negativity isn’t as bad as it was. But yeah people did and do hate Maxine for what she’s doing.
“It’s hard because I’m quite a softy and I’m like, ‘It’s not real and I’m not really doing these things.'”
This week sees Damon throw Maxine a living funeral as he believes she’s dying.
It’s all set to end in tears, but will it result in the truth coming out?
Hollyoaks is on Monday to Friday at 6.30pm on Channel 4 with a first look episode at 7pm on E4.
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