Corrie star ‘looks so different’ fans thought character was recast as she makes return
Corrie's Summer Spellman has returned to the cobbles but fans were left doing a double take at her new look - so much so, that they thought the character was a different person
Coronation Street fans were left doing a double take over a character’s new look.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) made her return to the ITV soap on Wednesday (June 12). Fans will recall the youngster left the cobbles a few months ago to study in America.
She was offered the chance to study abroad earlier this year but was initially torn about it, telling her guardian Billy that she didn’t think it was right for her to up and leave as his husband Paul, who is battling with MND, was so unwell.
However, when Paul found out about it he made it clear that he wanted Summer to pursue her dream. She ended up agreeing to go and jetted off to Boston.
But this week, Summer returned to the cobbles this week. As well as bringing her new boyfriend, Felix from the States, Summer also debuted her new look. And it’s fair to say fans were left stunned at her appearance. So much so, that they thought the character was a different person.
Over on a Corrie Facebook fan page, one person said: “How pretty does summer look with her fringe.” Someone else added: “I thought it was a different girl.”
A third chimed in and wrote: “Me too until she spoke.” Another penned: “I didn’t even know it was her.” A fifth wrote: “She looks so different.”
Summer made her first appearance in the soap in 2017, when the character was played by actress Matilda Freeman. However, Matilda stepped down in 2020, saying it was “time for a change”, and Harriet took over the part.
Speaking about how she has felt filming the emotional storyline, Harriet told Inside Soap: “All the scripts have been really sensitive and well-written, and Peter [Ash, who plays Paul] is doing a fantastic job. It’s hard not to get emotional on set.
“But that’s why I’m grateful that we have such a great team and that we get on really well, so we’re able to let that emotion go when we finish a scene. We were talking today about how it’s strange to watch the episodes that are currently airing, while we film Paul in the place that we will see him go.
“Day-to-day going into work – probably similar to real life – you don’t feel it quite as much because you’ve lived through every day while it’s progressively getting worse. It’s such a jump, and it’s been emotional.”
