Coronation Street newcomer Sydney Martin's 'weird' real age admission and surprise co-star connection

The Betsy Swain star told the ECHO about her amazing journey from a job at Tesco to landing a role on Corrie

Sydney Martin of Coronation Street is happy that the information is now public.

The soap opera actress is the newest cast member, and since she is blackmailing the evil Joel Deering, her character has been thrust right into the action. With Sydney’s character listed as “Sabrina’s friend” in the credits, viewers were skeptical that there would be more twists to the story.

The fact that Sydney is portraying none other than Betsy Swain, the daughter of Weatherfield Police investigator Lisa Swain, was revealed on Friday’s episode, confirming this. Following the shocking conclusion, Sydney officially revealed her role on Instagram.

The hardest secret to maintain, according to her, is that Betsy Swain has finally made her way to the Cobbles. I’m so happy to be a part of the Coronation Street family and to be playing DS Swain’s daughter. I appreciate everyone’s warm welcome, and I can’t wait for everyone to meet her.”

Sydney, a rising star, told the ECHO and other press that she is “over the moon” to have landed her dream job. This is her first TV part. Sydney, the soap actress, revealed that she is happy to be older than her role, even though she is portraying a 16-year-old in the show.

She stated: “To come in on the Lauren [Bolton] storyline, which is such an important, massive storyline and to be a little bit older and understand the serious topics it’s dealing with more has been nice.”

“Don’t get me wrong, it is bizarre,” she continued. “Betsy is six years younger than I am. “I mean, I layer on the moisturiser,” she jokingly said.

Sydney revealed that when she was younger, her dream job was a zookeeper and she never thought she could be an actor. But in Sixth Form, she got bitten by the acting bug and made the decision to go to Manchester’s drama school in order to follow her goals of being a showbiz star.

The soap opera star was shocked to be cast as Betsy after trying out for two smaller Corrie roles earlier in the year. “In this industry, you deal with a lot of rejection, so it can be really difficult, but I just saw it as a positive experience to get a recall and meet [DS Swain star] Vicky [Myers,” the actress stated.

“I didn’t accept it as I expected to. Any hope at all is nice when you’re just starting out in this field. It’s a lovely industry since it’s all about networking and meeting new people.”

Sydney received a call from her agent informing her that she had been cast when she and her roommates were watching Pitch Perfect 3. “It’s one of those careers you have to keep fighting for, and I was ecstatic,” she continued.

“When my roommate picked me up, we started crying. We failed to complete Pitch Perfect.” Sydney did not come from a family in show business, and when she landed the part, she was working six days a week at Tesco to support her acting career.

The soap opera star laughed as she disclosed that she informed her thrilled family of the amazing news after turning in her notice at the retail giant. “My dad said you shouldn’t have handed your notice,” the woman recalled. He said, ‘They’re not going to give you a Tesco reference now.'”

Sydney, who is from Rossendale, praised her parents for being there for her when she followed her big goal. They constantly claim they have no idea where I got my creative bones from because they work in quite other fields, the woman remarked.

“I was the first member of my family to attend college. Parents may become concerned when their children express a desire to pursue acting due to the unpredictable nature of the industry. Being resilient in the face of adversity truly requires a certain kind of person.

“This is my first experience doing TV, and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer introduction. They are ecstatic because they are simply my biggest fans. My first photo appeared in a magazine, and I believe it is already framed. They have maybe ten of them.”

Sydney also expressed gratitude for the support and “open arms” she has received from her co-stars. On the first day of filming, the actor was surprised to learn that she and Joel Deering star Calum Lill had a connection.

“I actually discovered on my first day of set that we attended the same high school,” the woman remarked. They are still ecstatic about the flowers I took them when I recently went back.

“I left high school quite a long time ago and they’ve never forgotten me.” She added: “I got into Sixth Form and had the most amazing drama teachers that I literally owe everything to.”

Sydney teased her character is set to cause trouble on the Cobbles as she will exploit her close connection to Weatherfield’s law enforcement. She added: “If she gets in trouble, it’s like mum can get me out. There’s a playfulness there. She’s a little bit naïve and thinks the law doesn’t apply to her.”

As Sydney looks forward to the next chapter of her life as a member of the Corrie cast, the soap star paid an emotional homage to her on-screen mother for helping her settle in. Sydney and Vicky share a particular friendship off screen.

“We were definitely mother and daughter in another universe,” the woman remarked. We have a lot in common.

“I got flowers from Vicky on my first day.” She gave me such a warm, fuzzy feeling. Everyone is supportive and the atmosphere is fast-paced, but Vicky really went above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of, and having that motherly role has been really wonderful.

“I moved away from home when I was eighteen, so it’s quite heartwarming to enter a new field and have someone be so encouraging. Everyone has been really kind and inviting. You need that [minimum] energy sometimes, especially when you feel like a tiny fish in a large pond.

“But I’ve been truly looked after so I feel really grateful.”