Michelle Collins, Lisa Riley, and Vicky Myers lead the glamour at the Inside Soap Awards as Coronation Street triumphs for the second year in a row

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Michelle Collins, Lisa Riley, and Vicky Myers were among the stars who arrived in style at the 2025 Inside Soap Awards red carpet event. The event was held at the One Ninetyfour venue in London on Monday.

Actress Michelle, 63 – famous for playing Cindy Beale on EastEnders – looked stylish in a black, flared two-piece suit. She wore it over a delicate lace vest.

As a huge fan, I have to say Lisa Riley, 49 – best known as Mandy Dingle from Emmerdale – looked absolutely incredible! She really wowed everyone in a stunning navy maxi dress. It was a really eye-catching design with beautiful sequin floral details.

While that was happening, Vicky Myers from Coronation Street, who has won awards before, looked stunning in a long, blue cape dress as she showed off her two awards on the red carpet.

Vicky, who portrays DS Lisa Swain in the soap opera, won two awards: Best Actress and Best Partnership. She received the Best Partnership award for her on-screen collaboration with Alison King (who plays Carla Connor).

Oh my gosh, you guys, did you *see* Natalie Ann Jamieson?! She’s just… incredible. I mean, the woman who plays Amy Wyatt in Emmerdale totally stunned everyone! She was wearing this amazing black mini dress – seriously, it was so short it showed off her legs – and it was covered in these gorgeous silver gemstones. I can’t stop thinking about it!

Hollyoaks star Anya Lawrence looked very different from her character, Vicky Grant, as she showed off her figure in a revealing black mini dress.

Beth Cordingly looked very elegant when she arrived, wearing a long, white floral dress. She was there to celebrate her Emmerdale character, Ruby Miligan.

Known for playing Clare Bates in EastEnders, Gemma Bissix brightened up the scene with a vibrant yellow silk dress and brown boots as she stepped out.

Strictly’s Stefan Dennis appeared sharply dressed and handsome in a classic black suit, worn with a blue shirt underneath.

He appeared proud as he walked the red carpet, showing off two awards: one for Outstanding Achievement for his work on Neighbours, and another for Best Daytime Star.

Coronation Street‘s Cait Fitton looked stunning in a beige, sleeveless mini dress. She completed the look with delicate lace tights and a coordinating jacket.

Heather Peace, known for her role as Eve Unwin on EastEnders, looked relaxed and comfortable in a casual outfit. She was wearing flared black trousers, a black vest top, and white trainers.

Sally Carman-Duttine, who plays a character on Coronation Street, looked amazing in a flowing, floor-length silk dress with long sleeves. She really turned heads as she arrived!

Coronation Street has won the Best Soap award again at the Inside Soap Awards, marking the second consecutive year for this achievement.

The award ceremony is scheduled for Monday evening in London, following the completion of voting earlier that day – and it will mark the return of the celebrated Best Exit Award, which hasn’t been presented for six years.

Coronation Street dominated the awards ceremony, winning the prestigious Best Soap award. They also received honors for Best Storyline, Best Actress, Best Partnership, and Best Comic Performance.

The award for Best Storyline went to the tragic events surrounding Mason Radcliffe’s death – he was stabbed by his brothers – and the resulting PTSD experienced by Abi Webster. Witnessing the attack caused Abi to have flashbacks related to the death of her own son.

“This year was full of exciting twists and turns, and the voting for our Best Soap award was incredibly tight – the closest it’s ever been!” explained Inside Soap editor Sarah Ellis.

Corrie’s victory is the perfect ending to a fantastic year for the soap opera. It was certainly boosted by the immense popularity of Alison King and Vicky Myers, who won Best Partnership and are known to fans as Swarla.

Emmerdale’s Dingle family took home the Best Family trophy for an impressive fifth time – a record in the history of the Inside Soap Awards. Meanwhile, Emmerdale’s Amelia Flanagan was crowned Best Young Performer for the fourth time.

Emmerdale also won the Best Showstopper award – given for an outstanding stunt or episode – for its highly praised limo crash disaster. The dramatic storyline involved the vehicle sinking into a frozen lake, resulting in the deaths of three popular characters as the events unfolded.

At the same time, Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell on EastEnders, won the award for Best Actor thanks to his compelling performance. Laura Doddington was recognized as Best Newcomer for her role as the villainous Nicola Mitchell.

I was so thrilled to see Navin Chowdhry take home the Best Villain award *again*! He’s absolutely brilliant. And it was lovely to see his former colleague, James Bye, win Best Exit – that scene with Martin Fowler during the show’s 40th anniversary live episode was genuinely heartbreaking, and he played it perfectly. It really was a powerful moment and a fitting send-off.

Inside Soap readers voted Casualty actor Michael Stevenson as Best Drama Star for playing the brave paramedic Iain Dean. Meanwhile, Neighbours‘ Stefan Dennis went straight from practicing for Strictly Come Dancing to accept the Best Daytime Star award for his role as the scheming Paul Robinson.

This year’s ceremony presented two Outstanding Achievement awards. The first went to everyone involved in Neighbours, recognizing a fantastic year of storylines before the show concludes this December. The second award honored Nick Pickard individually, celebrating his 30 years playing the beloved Hollyoaks character, Tony Hutchinson.

In conclusion, viewers voted EastEnders‘ Heather Peace as their Soap Superstar of 2025. They praised her “courageous and inspiring” performance as Eve Panesar-Unwin, describing her as “a Northern powerhouse” and “an icon who has always fought for others.”

‘The soaps all performed exceptionally well in 2025,’ says editor Sara. ‘The wide distribution of awards this year really highlights how robust and competitive the entire soap opera genre has been.’

This is a very positive sign for the future of our soap operas, particularly as we prepare for the major Coronation Street and Emmerdale crossover planned for early 2026. It’s truly an incredibly exciting time to be a fan of these shows!

Every year, over 90,000 viewers of Inside Soap participate in the Inside Soap Awards. These awards are unique – even after thirty years – because they’re the only ones in the industry decided completely by viewer votes. They remain the sole accolades of their kind based purely on public opinion.

Voting began in July for 15 awards, and more than 80,000 Inside Soap readers participated by casting their votes. Their votes determined the Top Four nominees in the soap opera world this year.

Speaking about the upcoming awards, the editor explained: ‘The Inside Soap Awards are unique because they’re the only awards of their kind where the viewers – the people who actually watch the soaps – get to decide the winners,’ stated Inside Soap magazine editor Sarah Ellis.

Each year, more than 90,000 soap opera fans participate in voting. Besides our pre-selected nominees, the Soap Superstar category gives readers the chance to nominate who they think should be recognized.

The last 12 months have been incredibly exciting for soap operas, and I’m eager to find out who Inside Soap readers have chosen as their top picks this year.

In 2025, the Best Exit category will be back, honoring characters who have either faced unfortunate fates or started fresh with new beginnings this year.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the world of soaps closely, and it’s been a bit heartbreaking, honestly. We’ve said goodbye to some really iconic characters in the past year, and it’s always tough to see our favorites go. It’s a reminder of how quickly things change, even in our fictional worlds! As Sarah pointed out, it’s been a difficult 12 months for fans.

‘Who didn’t cry their eyes out at Martin’s shock death during EastEnders’ live episode? 

We’re still reeling from the sad death of Craig in Corrie, and the heartbreaking loss of Leyla and Amy in the terrible Emmerdale limo crash. However, it’s up to viewers to decide which exit storyline they think was the most impactful.

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2025-09-29 23:07