Corrie newcomer Rebecca star's previous stint in rival soap and surprising second job

Hollyoaks beauty Gemma Merna is joining rival soap Coronation Street, where she will play Rebecca – a client of lawyer Adam Barlow, who ‘succumbs to his charms’

Adam Barlow of Coronation Street is getting ready for a new romance as the blonde bombshell from a competing soap opera shows up.

In the upcoming weeks, Gemma Merna—best known for her role as Carmel McQueen in Hollyoaks in 2006—will replace Chester with Weatherfield and become Rebecca. The forty-year-old will show up as a client of attorney Adam (Sam Robertson), and he will quickly “give in to his charms.”

Gemma announced the news of her shift to ITV on her Instagram account. She exclaimed, “The news is out,” with pride. “I have been harboring a small secret. I’m overjoyed to share that @coronationstreet is where I got my dream job!”

According to Inside Soap magazine, Gemma’s involvement in the ITV show will be part of a short storyline, however, and she’ll not be joining the cast on a permanent basis.

But that didn’t stop her from being excited, because she went on, “Can you believe it?! Since I was a young child, I have always wanted to appear on Coronation Street. For me, being a native of Manchester is undoubtedly a dream come true. I’ve had that on my vision board for more than a decade, and I finally had the opportunity to walk the cobbles. It still amazes me that I’m writing this.

“I think informing my mother over the phone was the nicest part. I hope you’re proud of me up there, dad, nana, granddad, and grandma, who all watched it for a long time and were tremendous fans. In the upcoming weeks, Rebecca will grace your screens.”

Responding to her annoucnemnt, Corrie’s Catherine Tyldesley said: “Thrilled for you love xx.” Former Hollyoaks star Stuart Manning added: “Hell yes Congratulations Gem xx.” And ex-Corrie actress Brooke Vincent gushed: “Omg!!!!!! This is fab.”

Gemma made more than 500 appearances in Hollyoaks, before she was killed off in an explosion after a train crashed at her cousin Porsche’s wedding in 2014.

After her exit, Gemma became a yoga instructor and founded Mind & Wellness, which she describes as an “online gym membership for your mind & body”. She previously opened up about the sessions she offers, explaining: “When people first come into the room for one of my classes, they may see me as ‘Gemma from Hollyoaks’. But by the time they leave, I’m just ‘Gemma the yoga teacher’ and they’ve had a great class.

“I’m very tough in my classes – nobody gets away with anything! So when they’re in the room, they need to focus on their breathing and just do the class.”