Coronation Street’s Kym Marsh has stepped up to support new co-star Sarah Harding after her debut on the soap attracted negative reviews.

The former Girls Aloud singer is currently appearing as Joni Preston, the glamorous wife of chef Robert (Tristan Gemmill) on the ITV soap.

Sarah Harding in Coronation Street
Sarah Harding in Coronation Street (ITV)

But Sarah’s acting skills have not been rated highly by critics, or by viewers on Twitter.

Kym, who used to be in pop group Hear’Say before becoming an actress on Corrie, told OK! Magazine: “I feel for her as it’s hard for anyone to come into a long-running TV show with such well-loved characters.

“Sarah’s first scene was with Rita in The Kabin and of course she’s going to be compared with actors like that.

“Don’t forget, she was probably nervous too. I know I was when I came into the show.”

Sarah also hit back at the criticism on This Morning this week.

She said: “I try not to pay any attention to that. If you’re going in as a known face, you’re always going to get flak. If anything, I turn all that into a positive energy. It just makes me more determined.”

Sarah Harding as Joni Preston in Coronation Street
Sarah Harding’s Joni has come to Weatherfield to look for her husband (ITV)

Before her first scenes were aired Sarah said: “I know it’s going to be a mixed reaction, because people are going to be expecting high standards, and so as long as I’m prepared for that, that’s fine.

“I hope I’ve done the soap justice, but there are going to be people who go, ‘Oh, she can’t act’. I’m just going to go, ‘It is what it is’.”