Michelle Keegan is set to star as Tina Moore in ITV's Tina and Bobby. She will play one half of golden couple Tina and Bobby Moore, but did she find there were parallels with her own marriage to Mark Wright?
Speaking exclusively to HELLO! magazine, Michelle said of the famous football couple: "Tina and Bobby worked in sync and I think Mark and I do. I always ask his opinion and he always asks mine. We talk things through – we're good at that."
Mark, a semi-professional footballer, was no doubt delighted when his wife landed the role. "He's a massive football fan and a West Ham supporter, so he was over the moon," said Michelle. "He was full of questions. He knew all the facts around Bobby's career but he found the personal side of his life really interesting."
"I always ask his opinion and he always asks mine," said Michelle
"The relationship Tina and Bobby had was very loving," Michelle added. "Tina was the backbone of the family and they were very strong as a couple."
Mark and Michelle, both 29, have been married for 18 months but their relationship was plagued by split rumours last year – speculation the actress has dismissed as "very annoying".
Michelle is set to play Tina Moore in Tina and Bobby
Media scrutiny is something she can identify with, although Michelle admits the level of interest that she and Mark have is "miniscule" compared to what Tina and Bobby experienced.
"Mark and I have learned it's possible to have jobs in the public eye and still do normal things," Michelle said. "We go on date nights; it's about where you choose to go."
The role was the first time Michelle has portrayed a mother on screen, but she says starting a family is still a way off for her and Mark.
"I love kids," said Michelle. "I'm from a big family so I'm always around children and in the future that's something I would love. Mark and I go through waves; sometimes he wants it more, other times it's flipped. But at the minute, it's not the right time."