ITV Coronation Street teen unrecognisable as she bags huge role four years after exit

One Coronation Street actress has undergone a dramatic transformation for a new role, four years after leaving the ITV soap. Matilda Freeman, who originally played Summer Spellman from 2017 to 2020, is now starring in a dark comedy called Passenger, alongside another Corrie legend.

Matilda appeared in 147 episodes of Coronation Street before she left to explore other opportunities. In her new role, she plays Lilly and looks completely different from her time on the cobbles, having swapped her blonde hair for an auburn shade and sporting freckles across her nose.

In one image from the series, the young star can be seen with a half-up, half-down hairstyle, wearing a green oversized coat and heart-shaped earrings. She stars alongside Jack James Ryan, known for his role as Jacob Hay in Corrie, in the new ITV series.

The show also features Corrie veteran Debbie Rush, famous for her role as Anna Windass, and Karen Henthorn, who starred in the soap from 2007 to 2010. Even former Emmerdale actor Tom Lister, who played Carl King, appears in the new programme, making it a must-watch for soap fans.

Matilda had earlier confessed that her role on the classic soap was "quite limiting". She explained to her fans on social media: "When you work at Corrie you're under a contract which means you can't work on anything else while you're there so it was quite limiting."

As she bid farewell to the beloved show, she told her fans: "I'd like to say thank you to my second family, the cast, crew and viewers who have supported me during my time on the cobbles.

"After three and a half lovely years I felt it was time for a change and I'm excited to be starting that next chapter with a new role."

Matilda has since ventured into new roles such as participating in an episode of Alma's Not Normal in 2021, where she impersonated the teenage version of Lin. Prior to joining Corrie, she made appearances across various productions including BBC's Doctors and the mesmerising film, The Last Boy in 2019.

Colleagues like Harriet Bibby expressed enthusiasm about the new series, posting: "WHO'S READY? ! " along with several 'hands-up' emojis on social media. Amy Barlow's character, portrayed by Elle Mulvaney, went on to promote the fresh series titled X, writing: "Passenger with our @JackJamesRyan on ITV1 and ITVX! [Popcorn emoji]."