Corrie Linda Baldwin star now –recluse, gang leader affair and transformation

Coronation Street star Jacqueline Chadwick looks completely different 22 years after leaving her ITV soap role.

Actress Jacqueline played Linda Baldwin – née Sykes – from 1998 until 2001, along with playing Tina Dingle for three years in rival soap Emmerdale.

But since leaving Weatherfield, she has shunned the spotlight in order to raise her family – and turned her hand to crime writing instead.

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Daily Star is taking a deep dive into Jacqueline’s life after Soapland, from her health battle to her unrecognisable appearance.

Family life and transformation

The actress now looks totally different, sporting a short blonde bob – a far cry from the brunette tresses of her soap days.

In her Twitter profile snap, Jacqueline can be seen wearing glasses complete with a beaded chain, wrapping herself in a cream cardigan to give the camera a smile.

Jacqueline had her first baby girl, Alexandra, in 1997 – part of the reason she wanted to quit the limelight. Alex’s father was Christopher Stone, who had a five-month affair with Jacqui.

Christopher was one of Birmingham’s most notorious gang leaders, who Jacqui was desperate to keep away from his daughter.

She kept his name off the birth certificate at the time, explaining to pals: “Chris and I are finished. I know he’s Alexandra’s father but there’s no way he’ll be playing daddy.”

But she confessed having her first baby made her a “recluse”, explaining to The Mirror: “I doted on her too much. There was nothing else in my life. I was so in love with her I didn't go out for a year. I didn't even go out for my birthday. I became a recluse and suddenly I didn't want to do anything but be with her. It was unhealthy for her and me.

“Before she was born I used to love having a drink and partying but I changed overnight. I would say, `Oh no, the baby needs me'. It was stupid. The baby was sick of me by the time she was a year old. She didn't want to look at me.

"My mum would go, `Will you leave that baby alone. All you do is kiss her’.”

Jacqueline went on to marry hubby Simon Chadwick in 2001, and the pair share another child together.

Career change

Since leaving Corrie in 2001, Jacqueline hasn’t had any on-screen roles. But in 2004 she decided to found a drama workshop, dubbed The Jacqueline Chadwick Academy of Performing Arts.

She opened two drama schools, one in her home town of Stirling and another in British Columbia, Canada.

But in 2016, Jacqueline decided on yet another career U-turn and turned her hand to crime writing, publishing her first novel, In The Still, in 2017.

She confessed: “When I started out in the soaps, celebrity didn’t exist and your private life was pretty much your own. That all changed in the Noughties when the phenomenon of stardom took off.

“After having my two children, I decided it was time to quit acting as I didn’t want them be forced into the limelight because of me. I wanted to concentrate on the things that really mattered – being a wife and mother.

“Turning to writing was a no-brainer. I’ve always, for as long as I can remember, squirrelled myself away writing between acting jobs and even during breaks between scenes.”

Health battle

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In 2018, Jacqueline confessed to fans on Twitter that she was suffering from two painful health conditions – a herniated disc and sciatica.

She wrote: “Had to delay hair appointment by two weeks because I still can’t sit. I’m going to look like the archetypal hag by March 10th.”

Jacqueline added the hashtags #HerniatedDiscsSuck and #SciaticaKickedMyA**.

Fans rushed to support the star, with one writing: “Sorry you’re still in so much pain and discomfort. Channel it into your next book!”

While someone else said: “So sorry!”

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV

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