They say it's a small world, and this couldn’t be further from the truth on Wednesday night when Sally Ann Matthews – who plays Jenny Bradley in Coronation Street – found out that she is related to another member of the ITV soap. A number of the cast members took part in one-off documentary Coronation Street's DNA Secrets to find out more about their family history, and Sally Ann was particularly surprised by her background. It was revealed that the actress is a cousin of Amanda Barrie, who played Alma Halliwell from 1981 to 2001, when her character died of cancer.
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Sally Ann Matthews and Amanda Barrie are cousins!
Sally was told at the beginning of the show that she and a mystery cast member had great, great, great grandparents in common on her mum's side of the family, and she was stunned when she found out that it was Amanda – who she had worked with for four years in the soap. Amanda – who also appeared on the show – was just as delighted at Sally at the discovery, and joked: "Have you found any money in the family?" What's more, Sally and Amanda have both played the wives of Underworld factory owners, Mike Baldwin and Johnny Connor. "I always felt close to Sally Ann and now I feel extremely close and very proud," Amanda said during the show, while Sally told Amanda: "I always liked you!"
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Sally also shared her excitement about her family history on social media. She tweeted a photo of the pair together, and wrote: "Just me and my cuz." Sally also posted a photo of jug that Amanda had given her when she was 18, writing: "Amanda gave me this when I was 18 and it's been with me in every house I've ever lived in." Amanda, meanwhile, wrote: "So proud of my cuz. And I think there's a family likeness."
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