THE Bolton actress who won a legion of Coronation Street fans as Fred Elliott's Thai bride returns this month as a rather battered and bruised conwoman.

And Casey Lee Jolleys is enjoying a great time on the nation's favourite Northern soap once more.

"It was great to come back," said the 31-year-old who went to school in Little Lever and later lived in Sharples with her mum, Maureen.

Casey - now married and living in Prestwich - became a big hit more than a year ago when she played Orchid Pattaya, a Thai bride who actually turned out to be Manchester market stallholder Stacey, working a scam to get hold of Fred's money.

After 10 episodes, she left the Street but producers were so happy with the public reaction to the storyline and Casey's character that they left the door open.

Now, she is back. But in the meantime, she has had a baby daughter - at the Princess Anne Maternity Unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital - and played Tinkerbell in a highly successful panto run of Peter Pan in Mansfield.

The call to return to Wetherfield's cobbled streets came a couple of months ago and Casey has been filming for the past couple of weeks, with episodes to be broadcast at the end of January.

"It's more about Stacey this time," said Casey, in between filming.

"Fred is at the hospital with Ashley when Stacey is brought in unconscious in an ambulance.

"She has been beaten up because she was doing one last scam before quitting the business, and she picked the wrong punter.

"Fred's heart, though, still beats warmly for her and when he sees her, it's bingo! He wants to look after her and make sure she is OK."

Casey believes that we will see a bit more of "the real Stacey" over the next eight episodes she is in, and we are probably set to like her.

But even when the Orchid/Stacey plot was at its peak previously, the character was very popular.

"I was amazed then that the public liked her quite so much. I thought I'd get hate mail because she was trying to con Fred but everyone was lovely to me," Casey said.

Now, it is happening all over again.

When her businessman husband, Michael, aged 45, was rushed to hospital on Boxing Day with a heart scare, one of the national newspapers reported that he had had a heart attack.

"As a result, the fans have already been really nice to me, saying 'how's your husband?' and 'are you all right, then?' when I sign autographs. But it really was just a scare and Michael is fine now," she said.

Her daughter, Halle, almost one, is also keeping the actress busy on the home front.

"She can say a few words now, and she's really fun. I think, though, that she's going to be an actress," said Casey, laughing.

"She can turn on the tears when she wants something and then just stop - just like a diva.'