I SAY, I say, I say, look where lovestruck Fred can find his Orchid blossoming?

"Home sweet home" for actress Casey Lee Jolleys is in Prestwich.

She has been at the forefront of one of Coronation Street's major storylines as a fake Thai bride trying to make mincemeat of butcher Fred Elliott and relieve him of his hard-earned cash.

Her role as conwoman Stacey, purporting to be Orchid Pattaya, has won her widespread acclaim in just a few episodes with her efforts to fleece "Fled".

Married and settled in Prestwich with her husband, a property businessman, Casey's big break on the popular soap came quite by chance, although she firmly believes it was fate.

For the past three years, Casey has played Jenny in "Beachcomber Bay", playing alongside puppets like Sam the Seagull and Bertha the Cat. But after returning from a trip to Singapore to see her 91-year-old grandmother and a holiday in Thailand, she got off the plane in Manchester to find a huge poster of the Rover's Return facing her.

"So when my agent rang me two days later to say there was a casting in Coronation Street for an Oriental girl, I couldn't believe it."

At the casting recall, she really didn't think she would get the part "because so many of the girls were much more Oriental looking than me", but her Lancashire accent proved a winner.

"I think that had been a problem for them because it is two characters rather than one, and they wanted me to speak really broad Lancashire," she said.

A long-time fan of the programme, Casey was nervous on the first day of filming, but fellow cast members helped her overcome it.

"John Savident, who plays Fred Elliott, has been great to work with. He's a real professional," she said.

She has also been quite surprised at the way her character quickly became a part of The Street.

"I was leaving the set right at the start of filming and I saw this big crowd of fans and reporters waiting at the gate, so I thought someone famous must be coming out. But they were waiting for me!"

Already, Casey's good looks and slim size 8 figure have attracted widespread media attention who want to know the secret of her enviably trim shape.

"I haven't got one,!" she says with a grin. "I eat what I like but in moderation, and if I want fish and chips I'll have it."

She tries to go to the gym a couple of times a week, but it is restricted by her filming schedules.

And how's she coping with shouts in the street of "All right, our kid"?

"It's lovely," she said, "I'm really enjoying it all."

As for the future, she added: "The Coronation Street producers have said they are very pleased with the role, and will be leaving the door open for me. So, who knows?