Coronation Street fans open-mouthed as they recognise prison guard Mandy
Coronation Street viewers were taken aback upon discovering the identity of the actress portraying prison guard Mandy in the soap.
Recently, Rob Donovan (played by Marc Baylis) made a surprising comeback to the cobbles after an eight-year hiatus. Audiences will remember that Rob is serving time for the murder of Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) back in 2014.
However, when his sister Carla Connor (Alison King) required a kidney transplant, his son Bobby (Jack Carroll) decided to intervene.
Bobby visited Rob last week to disclose the situation – and although initially resistant, Rob eventually had a change of heart. In Monday’s episode (January 13), Bobby returned to the prison to convince Rob to undergo testing as a potential donor.
The prison guard Mandy got fans talking (Image: ITV)
The plot took a dramatic twist when fellow inmate Matty (Seamus McGoff) brandished a knife and seized prison guard Mandy. Viewers will recall that Matty is incarcerated for stabbing and killing his own brother Mason (Luca Toolan) the previous week, reports Lancs Live.
Matty threatened to murder prison guard Mandy – and when Rob intervened – Matty redirected his threats towards Bobby. Both Mandy and Rob attempted to pacify Matty, and as the situation escalated, Rob pinned Matty against the wall, with prison staff rushing in to halt the confrontation.
While the gripping prison scenes captivated audiences, some sharp-eyed viewers were quick to spot a familiar face portraying Mandy. Flocking to social media, fans recognized Rebecca Atkinson, famed for her role as Karen Maguire in Channel 4’s Shameless between 2004 and 2013.
One viewer excitedly identified her on social media: “It’s karen maguire from shameless! ” Another contributed to the conversation, expressing their realisation: “I was going crazy trying to remember where i knew her from!”
The actress played Karen in Shameless (Image: Channel 4)
Adding to the recognition, a third stated: “I recognised the prison officer/guard straight away. Loved her when she played Karen in Shameless.” Solidifying the observation, yet another fan wrote: “I’ve been staring at this since we got the spoilers and convinced it was! “.
Atkinson joined Shameless, the BAFTA-award-winning series, at the tender age of 19, effectively growing up during her time on the noted show. She brought to life numerous significant storylines, ranging from messy love affairs to running the iconic Jockey pub.
