Coronation street helen
The 21-year-old, who has played wild child Rosie Webster on the ITV show for the past 12 years, is quitting the long-running soap early next year.
Friends say Flanagan is keen on spending more time with her boyfriend, Swansea City’s free scoring winger Sinclair, 22.
And posts on Flanagan’s Twitter site this week suggest she is getting to know Swansea.
As well as letting people know she has been in the city spending time with Sinclair she even boasted of a shopping trip in the city. She said: “Wow! How nice is this polka dot Stella McCartney inspired dress – £18.99 from International in Swansea.”
Flanagan, due to leave Corrie in January, and Sinclair have been a couple since December 2009 and they recently enjoyed a romantic break in Paris.
Flanagan said of her decision to leave Coronation Street: “I have played Rosie Webster for more than half my life and I feel the time has come for me to move on and try something new.”
“I am very excited about what the future might hold for me. I have loved playing Rosie and during my time growing up on Corrie I have made some amazing friends and learnt an awful lot.
Helen’s final filming will take place at Christmas with the episodes airing in February. Producers of the show were said to be concerned at her decision to quit and tried to persuade her to say.It is understood the show’s writers will create an exit for her character which will allow a possible come back.
Producer Phil Collinson said: “We are sorry to see Helen go but wish her every success for the future.”
Last month, the actress left her apartment in trendy northern suburb Alderley Edge and moved her belongings from the flat back to her family home in Bolton, Lancashire, leading to speculation she might set up home with Sinclair in Swansea.
And earlier this month she sparked rumours she is planning to start a family after making public her feelings on Twitter when co-star Kym Marsh, who plays Michelle Connor, brought her baby daughter Polly on set. She tweeted:”’I just love babies. If I had a baby I would just stare and be like ‘wow’ and want to cuddle forever. Not going to lie – broody lady.”
The actress has been extremely busy.
As well as starring in Coronation Street she has recently starred in her own spin-off web series which sees Rosie in London, trying to make it big in the modelling world.As a result she has faced long separations from striker Sinclair, who lives in Swansea after signing for the Swans on August 9, 2010 for a £500,000 fee from Chelsea which could rise to £1m.
Sinclair became a Swansea hero after scoring a hat-trick in the May play-off final against Reading which saw his new club become the first Welsh club to join the Barclays Premier League.
And there was drama at the start of the match when the actress turned up at Wembley sporting a new blond hairstyle to watch her boyfriend play.
Security staff failed to recognise her and refused to let her in but fortunately, fans helped persuade them who she was and she was finally allowed entry.
Flanagan has made a number of visits to Swansea before this week, on one occasion using Twitter to ask local people if they “knew a good tanning parlour”.
She and Sinclair met in 2009 while the player was on loan to Wigan from former club Chelsea and was living in Manchester.The two have been dating ever since with Flanagan even having been pictured with a “Scott” tattoo on her inner thigh. Rising TV star Flanagan bought herself a Range Rover for her 21st birthday earlier this year. In the 2006 British Soap Natasha Fulford, of South Wales PR and marketing consultants MGB PR, based in Swansea, said: “Although Helen is used to the bright lights of Manchester, she would be pleasantly surprised by what we have to offer here in Swansea.
“When it comes to eating out the choice is extremely varied, with a number of local restaurants that could easily satisfy even the fussiest of WAGs. La Parrilla, based in SA1, is the place to be seen with the ‘great and the good’ of Swansea, but, if she’s watching her waistline like most WAGs she should get along to Wasabi in Uplands for the dieters food of choice, sushi.
“Just over the road from Wasabi is Noah’s Yard, a new bar which has become extremely popular with local professionals and celebrities alike. Frequented by Swans and Ospreys players, Helen is bound to bump into a few fellow WAGs here.”
“If she fancies continuing her evening in one of Swansea’s many nightclubs, she would be advised to head to the VIP room of Oceana, an exclusive members only area,
“If she isn’t a fan of clubbing, Aspers on Wind Street is arguably the most glamorous and impressive venue in Swansea, whether she fancies a spin on the roulette or not there’s plenty going on.
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