Michelle Keegan has revealed that leaving the security of Coronation Street forced her to 'work harder'.

The actress, 36, who plated Tina McIntyre on the soap from 2008-2014, said it took a long time before making the hard decision to leave the show and venture out into the tough world of a jobbing actress.

Speaking on Friday's The Graham Norton Show she said: 'For me [Coronation Street] was a massive learning platform. I took a long, long time to decide to leave – it was very hard'.

'And then when they told me they were killing off my character and there was no going back I thought I would never work again'. 

Adding: 'My security was ripped away which made me push forward and work harder.' 

During the time on the show Michelle's character featured in many high profile stories including her relationship with David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) and affair with Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne).

Tina died after being pushed from a balcony and beaten with a lead pipe by Underworld boss Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis).

Elsewhere in the interview Michelle revealed the 'embarrassment' she felt filming her new Netflix thriller Fool Me Once with Dame Joanna Lumley. 

She   spoke about the experience during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show which will air on Friday night. 

Michelle stars as Maya Stern in the series, an ex-army captain who tries to solve the mystery of seeing her murdered husband, Joe (Richard Armitage) on a secret nanny cam, while Joanna plays her mother-in-law Judith Burkett.

Asked about working with BAFTA-winning star Joanna, she said: 'It was so much fun, and we laughed the whole way through.'

Yet there was a downside, with Michelle confessing: 'There were a lot of F-bombs dropped in the show, but I just couldn't bring myself to swear at her in rehearsal. I was just so embarrassed to say the word.'

The series has rocketed to the top of Netflix's charts since its New Year's Day release and Michelle confessed she couldn't believe it's success. 

She revealed: 'It's madness that it's number one all over the world. I was always a huge fan of Harlan Coben books so when I got the call it was 'Yes, absolutely,' and I grabbed it with both hands.'

The gritty new drama is worlds away from her role in Coronation Street, which Michelle called 'a massive learning platform.'

She continued: 'I took a long, long time to decide to leave – it was very hard. 

'And then when they told me they were killing off my character and there was no going back I thought I would never work again. 

'My security was ripped away which made me push forward and work harder.'

Michelle recently shed some light on her future acting plans, confessing on This Morning: 'I always say that I live in the moment. Any job that I get I am very grateful for.

'I'm always saying that I pinch myself and I do a lot. Maybe I would like to play a darker role next, all my characters are quite likeable.'

Hosts Rylan Clark and Josie Gibson were quick to intervene, as they excitedly noted: 'Ooh you want to play a baddie!'

'Yeah, something a bit darker!' agreed Michelle.

And speaking about her role in Fool Me Once, Michelle admitted her own love of the gripping story.

She continued: 'I read the book before and I could not put it down. I literally read the book in two days.

'I got the part where this is this huge twist and I let out such a loud gasp everyone turned around and looked.'

'It was quite difficult going from Brassic straight into a drama because it's completely different ends of the spectrum but I do love the challenge of doing a thriller.'

Michelle's husband Mark Wright took to his Instagram Story recently to praise her new series. 

Mark - who tied the knot with Michelle in 2015 - was a proud husband as he wrote, alongside a teaser clip: 'Unbelievable show, unbelievably proud. @michkeegan you're a superstar.

'Fool Me Once all eps on Netflix worldwide now!! You want a binge!! Get this on now!!' 

Joining Michelle on The Graham Norton Show is Dominic West, Jacob Anderson, Alan Carr, and American singer-songwriter Teddy Swims.

The Graham Norton Show airs Friday on BBC One at 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.