Coronation Street soap star Suranne Jones will be singing in York on Wednesday night (26th).

Best known as Corrie's hot but bothersome Karen McDonald, Suranne is to perform musical numbers in the Peter Karrie & Friends show at the Grand Opera House (7.30pm). Amy Nuttall from Emmerdale will be there too.

"I've been singing since I was eight," says Suranne, who later studied for a BTec in performing arts.

"I used to attend the Oldham Theatre workshops - Amy did too - and when I was 17, I did a season of eight musicals in eight weeks on the Isle Of Man, where I'd be doing rehearsals all day and a show each night. You learn a lot!"

Suranne has twice performed on Stars In Their Eyes, the first time turning blonde for Madonna's Music; then vamping it up as Catherine Zeta-Jones doing All That Jazz.

"No, I won't be doing it a third time. I think people are pretty sick of me. I've been there, got the T-shirt," she says.

Nevertheless, she will perform All That Jazz in York, along with a duet of Sun And Moon from Miss Saigon with Peter Karrie.

Suranne - her stage name is an amalgamation of Sarah Anne - will not be following other soap pin-ups in recording an album. "I've not been tempted," she says. "Singing is my hobby, acting is my challenge and my love. Music is for fun, and every time I do these shows I give my fee to the Blossom Charity in Manchester, for breast cancer research."

Box office: 0870 606 3595.

Updated: 09:44 Friday, November 21, 2003