MY GORGEOUS STEPMOTHER IS DRIVING ME MAD WITH LUST

Oct 15 2006 By Laura Davidson

Corrie star Rupert on those screen kisses with Frankie

Not many twentysomething blokes would admit to fantasising about their stepmum - but then not many lads have a stepmum who looks like gorgeous Frankie Baldwin.

Rupert Hill, who plays Coronation Street's Jamie Baldwin, knows his character's controversial clinch with stepmum Frankie (Debra Stephenson) will send a shockwave through the telly-watching nation this week.

But he reckons the storyline is not as far-fetched as some Corrie fans might think.

He said: "I can see how people would think it's unrealistic. When the idea of Frankie and Jamie getting together was hinted at before, Debra and I thought it was going a bit far.

"But then I thought about it and things like this, things a lot worse than this, do actually happen in real life. You just have to look at women's magazines to see people's real-life stories. It's not so absurd really.

"When we got the scripts through and talked about how it was actually going to happen, we could see it was handled really well and it began to get really interesting. As an actor, a storyline like this is fantastic to play out. It gives Debra and I a lot of scope to show a different side to our characters' relationship."

Rupert and Debra's on-screen smooch has been making headlines since Corrie bosses announced plans for the Baldwin's unconventional family affair earlier this year.

But events on-screen have been overtaken with the actors' real lives in recent weeks, not least the revelations over a real-life affair between Debra and Bradley Walsh, who plays her estranged husband and Jamie's dad Danny.

The pair, who are both married, have admitted to a close friendship but denied having sex.

Rupert said: "If I read something about one of the cast, my first thought is it's probably not true, then I just turn a blind eye to it. I've got no interest in it.

"I'm friends with both Bradley and Debra and the way I've handled this situation is to tell them that if they want to talk about it then I'm here but if they don't, that's cool. It's none of my business."

Rupert, 28, has also been accused of a fling with a co-star. The young actor, who split from girlfriend Angela Hazeldine recently, has been romantically linked with Jenny Platt, who plays his on-screen ex Violet Wilson, but Rupert says the claims are rubbish.

He added:"I kind of expected it to happen because lots of people think when you're involved in a TV show with someone else, there HAS to be something going on. It seems absurd to people that you could just be mates, it's always assumed that you're up to something. The fact of the matter is Jenny and I are just friends and that's all there is to it.

"I'm lucky Angela and I had an amicable split. We've managed to stay friends.

"She's a friend of Jenny as well and I'm friends with Jenny's ex Ollie.

"All that matters is the people involved know the truth and the truth is there's nothing going on."

Rupert's been in the middle of some cracking storylines since he joined the Street in 2002. He and dad Danny came to blows last year when Baldwin Snr nicked Baldwin Jnr's girlfriend Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson).

Jamie's affairs will drive a wedge even deeper between father and son, especially since Danny thought he was in with a chance of winning back his missus.

Rupert is relishing the explosive scenes that will follow in the coming months, not least the thrilling fight sequence which will see the pair end up in a canal after a brawl.

He explained: "I've always wanted to act since I was little.

"I got an agent after leaving university and it took about a year to get any decent parts but I landed a job in Doctors, then was called in for Five's Family Affairs and Corrie came along shortly after that.

"My mum's probably most proud of my work on Corrie - she's a massive fan and me landing a part in the soap was as good as getting an Oscar as far as she's concerned."

When he's not working, Rupert's biggest passion is music and his band Shepherds Pi are earning a good reputation in Manchester.

The band are one of the main reasons he and Angela have tried to remain friends. She plays bass in the four-piece while he sings and plays rhythm guitar.

Rupert said: "It's really important to us and we spend hours on end rehearsing and gigging.

"We've been going for about two years now and we're getting some pretty good feedback.

"We do strictly indie/rock'n'roll stuff - I play rhythm guitar and sing.

"I listen to a lot of old stuff like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, so we're influenced by that kind of era. We're not into cheesy stuff so there's no chance you'll see me popping up on Celebrity X Factor or anything like that any time soon.

"We entered the 02 Undiscovered contest this year and made it to the final 10 from 6000 entries so we were well pleased with that."

The band have no shortage of groupies. Their website www.myspace.com/shepherdspi gets hundreds of hits a week.

But although Rupert's one of Corrie's undisputed heart-throbs, you won't see him cashing in on his fame with the ladies.

"That's just not my scene," he smiled. "People think I get chatted up all the time but it's not like that.

"I don't go to nightclubs, it's not really my thing. My friends and I just like to go out to places with good music, usually indie clubs with lots of students and you don't get bothered in those places, which is good.

"I don't turn my back on the celebrity party circuit.

"I'll go to awards parties and the like but in my own time I don't really bother with it.

"I'm happiest when I'm out with my mates who I've known from way back.

"Until recently I was sharing a house with a group of people including my best mate Jamie, who I grew up with in Southampton. I've known him since I was 11.

"I like having friends I've got history with like that. I'm just the same bloke I was 10 years ago before Corrie - and I wouldn't change that for the world."

THIS STORYLINE GIVES DEBRA AND I A LOT OF SCOPE TO SHOW A DIFFERENT SIDE TO OUR CHARACTERS