Coronation Street's Farrel Hegarty left in floods of tears at airport over huge fear

A Coronation Street star was left in tears at an airport as she revealed her secret fear of flying. Farrel Hegarty, 37, started playing the role of Lou Michaelis on ITV's flagship soap earlier this year, but jetted off to Australia when it was announced that she was to depart the show after just a matter of months. The actress has been keeping her followers on social media up to date with her trip down under to see friends, but appeared distressed as she geared up to board her long flight home.

Speaking to her followers on her Instagram story, she said: "I hate saying goodbye, I hate airports and I hate flying. It's a three for three. I don't know what's wrong with me. I used to be fine flying, and now I am an absolute wiener. I can't do it! Turbulence makes me feel like I'm on the Nemesis [at Alton Towers].

"I'm gonna get an ice cream, I don't even care, I don't even care. I'm on a four-week shred before Ibiza. I will worry about the consequences later because I am sad!" Once she had obtained her sweet treat, Farrel said through tears: "I am eating my emotions", before letting out a quick giggle. Farrel's woes didn't end there as she made her way to the plane, and she lamented that she "didn't even get a free upgrade", but she was thrilled to discover that she had the whole row to herself once she had taken her seat on the aircraft.

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She joked: "Look. Two spare seats. Not one, but two. Someone is looking out for me, someone is looking out for me. Someone is looking out for me. It does smell a little bit like sick, it smells a little sick but I am just going to ignore it!"

When the Corrie audition came, she was about to leave her home in London to move Down Under and live with her girlfriend of 18 months. She said: “I was about to move to Australia to move in with my partner and the audition came up. Either way, my life was about to go in a different direction, as I knew I’d either be going to Australia or joining Coronation Street.

“I knew if I got the role, then it was my time. Having a long-distance relationship is definitely not for the faint-hearted but my partner was never going to be angry that I was going to be in Corrie. She knows how much it meant to me and how tough it has been.”

But after just mere months of starring as the hairdresser on-screen - who is now behind bars for beating Gary Windass (Mikey North) over the head amid a failed blackmail attempt - she vaguely discussed the exit for the first time to The Mirror and other press. She teased what was ahead, while also confirming the fact that she did know from the start she would be leaving after a matter of months, with an exit always on the cards despite some reports.

She explained of why she took on the short-term role, knowing she would only be there for a specific amount of time: "I just think she really appealed to me because she's the sort of person who's never had it easy.

"She's built up a lot of coping mechanisms, where she's presenting a hard and feisty character with her walls up, and all she's ever known is these fiery relationships. And probably fiery relationships with a lot of people in her life, which is what makes a character like that so interesting.

"Because she's a force and irrational. I read scripts and I go, 'Oh God! What's she doing now? What's she saying now?' Because it's not a way that I would behave, and because of that, it's so much fun to play. It's that desperation to protect that inner circle and because of that, she makes a mess of things. But a character like that is so fun to play, because there's never a dull moment."

Between roles, she has sometimes taken temporary office jobs. “It’s hard going to auditions, but when you get a part like Lou, it’s an incredible feeling.”

She then admitted that her dream was now to land a role in a sitcom. Speaking before her trip Down Under, Farrel, who also posts comedy sketches on TikTok, said: “I enjoy doing silly skits. I will need a holiday by then. It will be great to see my partner too.”

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