Suranne Jones has revealed her secret struggles with fame around the time of Coronation Street.

The actor, who has appeared in recent years in shows such as Vigil and Gentleman Jack, originally rose to prominence as Karen McDonald on the ITV soap between 2000 and 2004.

Appearing on the Table Manners podcast, Jones reflected on being in the public eye at that time, admitting that while it was “huge”, she didn’t find it “fun”.

“The paps were chasing us – it was just a different time… It was not fun, not when you’re young,” she recalled. “It was around the time of people needing to look a certain way, and all of that ring of shame, that’s the era that we’re talking about.”

Jones further shared: “I had people outside my house. I was being followed. I do think it was a particular time. Everyone was so young, we were all mid-20s. I didn’t go to university, so that was my university.

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“I won quite a lot of awards then, because people loved Karen, because she was kind of feisty, people thought I was maybe like Karen. So I think the press loved the character and wanted something interesting for me.”

The star went on to recall that the weekly episode count increased around the time, a “huge shift” that saw her on screen more often.

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“We were just in more episodes and [spent] more time in people’s living rooms,” she added. “And like I said, Karen was really wild. So people just thought that I was.”

Jones will next be seen in Netflix’s new thriller Hostage, in which she will take on the role of a British Prime Minister who finds herself forced into an intense situation when her husband is kidnapped.

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.