'Coronation Street' star Rhea Bailey has been called "evil" by fans of the soap.
Rhea Bailey
The 33-year-old actress stars as Caz Hammond - who is currently on the run after framing Maria Connor for her death - on the ITV show, and has revealed that some members of the public struggle to distinguish between her on-screen character and her real-life self.
She shared: "People are taking it really seriously which has massively surprised me. The other morning I was coming through the tube and somebody came up to me and said 'You're evil. you are'.
"I was like, 'It's 8 o'clock in the morning, what did I do?' Then you suddenly realise they're talking about a fictional character and I say, 'Yeah, Caz is evil. There's no way she should get away with that behaviour and all she's been doing.' It's just too intense."
Rhea admitted she was initially a little upset by the abuse she received from the public, but said it is something she has grown used to.
She told 'This Morning': "At first it did upset me a little because I wasn't expecting it, I'm just doing my job and I'm doing exactly what the producers and directors asked me to do.
"But now I have to come to a place where I let it wash over me and realise that there's only a few people who take it very seriously. Most people are really nice and sweet."
Maria also revealed she is keen to see her on-screen character brought to justice.
She said: "I want justice just as much as the audience. I didn't realise it was going to get this dark.
"I spend more time than I should talking to old ladies in the supermarket reassuring them that I'm really friendly. I wanted to prove to her that I'm not actually horrible and I'm nice."