CORONATION Street legend Tracy Shaw is unrecognisable from her character Maxine Peacock 19 years after she was brutally murdered on the soap.
The 49-year-old actress can be seen in two very different wigs on the set of her latest film Cookster: The Darkest Days.
Mum-of-two Tracy is hard at work at Elstree Studios, the home of Strictly Come Dancing, and she is clearly relishing her first acting role in nearly five years.
In one shot shared on Instagram, she can be seen with dramatically shorter hair inside a retro Ford Fiesta with her on-screen son.
She has the 80s look down to a tee with a loose-fitting grey T-shirt, wire-rimmed specs and the short ‘do.
Another shot shows her as a younger version of her character Lynda, this time with curly ginger hair.
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Due for release next year, the gritty British flick tells the story of a misunderstood dyslexic teen who becomes a drug dealer and gets into trouble with a local gangster.
Tracy is best known for her years playing hairdresser Maxine Peacock between 1995 and 2003.
Her run on the show came to an end when she was brutally murdered by Richard Hillman.
Maxine, was married to butcher Ashley and had a young son called Joshua, was struck with a crowbar after she returned home from the pub.
Tracy arrived on the cobbles as a friend of Fiona Middleton, who she betrayed by having a one-night stand with Fiona’s boyfriend – Steve MacDonald.
She also ended up having a baby by the local doctor – despite being married to Ashley.
Off-screen, the actress won Rear of the Year in 1996 and a pop career in 1998, saw her releasing two singles Ridin’ High and a cover of Lonnie Gordon’s Happenin’ All Over Again.
The actress has kept a relatively low profile since her character’s departure, but in 2019 attended the British Soap Awards to present the lifetime achievement award to her friend and veteran actress Sue Nicholls for her work as Audrey Roberts.
She has had minor roles in other ITV dramas but the majority of her work been in the theatre.
In 2003 Shaw appeared as Sally in the stage play The Blue Room, starring alongside Jason Connery.
Following the birth of her children – Louis, 16, and Luca, 15 – she returned to acting, starring in several national tours.
They’ve included Mum’s the Word in 2010 and Busy Body in 2011.
Tracy most recently starred as Anabelle in The Cat and the Canary, sharing pictures on Instagram of the play’s run in Lichfield and Leeds.
Posting a smiling snap of herself in character in the theatre dressing room, she wrote: “Last 2 shows playing Annabelle west at the grand theatre Leeds
“we started this play before we’d even heard of Covid , on our second leg of tour, 3 lateral tests a week for Covid we’ve been able to open many theatres , and hopefully entertained our audiences with an amazing cast !
“I feel very emotional to say good bye today to a wonderful part
“thankyou to all the theatres and audiences and our wonderful cast, most of all our backstage crew without them the show doesn’t happen ”.
