Coronation Street legend, 73, set to be 'ruthless killer' as she makes huge soap return
Sherrie Hewson is reportedly set to make soap history as the oldest serial killer as she joins the cast of Hollyoaks nearly 20 years after her departure from Coronation Street.
The 73 year old actress is best known for her role as Maureen Holdsworth, Bill Webster's ex-wife, in the popular ITV soap during the 90s, with a brief return in 2006.
Corrie fans will remember Maureen's dramatic exit following Bill's affair with local icon Audrey Roberts. Sherrie also had a stint on Emmerdale between 2004 and 2006, playing Lesley Meredith, but has now switched over to Hollyoaks where she's expected to stir up some serious drama.
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The former Benidorm star made her debut on the Channel 4 soap last month as Martha Blake, estranged mother of Patrick Blake, and it's reported that she'll "slice through characters like a hot knife through butter".
An insider spilled the beans this week: "Hollyoaks is at its best when there's a major villain on the loose and Martha is going to top them all," according to The Sun. "She's just as twisted as her murderous great-granddaughter Nico. She may be worse. No one's safe with Martha around."
Sherrie's character is predicted to start her killing spree following the big September relaunch of the soap. With a whopping 20 cast members set to leave in the coming months, the huge character shake-up means she'll have plenty of potential victims, reports the Express.
"Obviously Sherrie is over the moon to play such an out-there character. She can't wait to get her hands dirty with the blood of characters", an insider revealed.
When her Hollyoaks casting was announced, the Loose Women star couldn't contain her excitement about her new role, saying: "It's been a rollercoaster joining Hollyoaks! The character is just wonderful to play."
"Everyone is so lovely, such a great atmosphere to work in and so welcoming. We laugh a lot, what more could you ask for? ".
Sherrie is joined on the soap by Jeremy Sheffield who has made a dramatic return to Chester eight years after his character Patrick Blake was killed off. The actor, 58, is now playing Patrick's twin brother Jez, with Martha being their mum.
Back in 2016, Patrick met a grisly end at the hands of his granddaughter Nico Blake. With Jez's unexpected arrival in Chester, his niece Sienna was left shocked, initially mistaking him for her evil father only to discover Patrick has a secret twin.
However, it's not all been smooth sailing for Jez, as he opened up about his traumatic past living in the shadow of his late brother Patrick.
Speaking to Inside Soap, Jeremy revealed: "A huge event blew the brothers apart and Jez disappeared - whatever went on was so traumatic he just had to escape. I imagine Jez was Patrick's first victim."
He also gave some insight into the tense relationship between Jez and Martha, saying: "They have a terrible, toxic relationship, but we don't know why yet. And it's not even clear who is the good guy and who is the bad guy."
Jeremy gave fans a sneak peek into Sherrie's character Martha in the twisted Blake family saga, saying: "But this is the Blakes we're talking about! Sherrie is fantastic, I'm not sure she's ever played a character like this! ".
Hollyoaks airs weeknights on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 at 7.30pm
