DEBRA Stephenson is in the throes of morning sickness. At three months pregnant, most mums-to-be would plump for the sofa and a glass of water and hope for the best.
But not Debra. The Corrie star's found a different cure for the sickness she's suffering - going on stage in front of hundreds of people.
Currently performing at Blackpool's Opera House, Debra says doing her stand-up routine of songs and impressions takes her mind off it.
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"It's about the only time I don't feel sick," laughs Debra, 34.
"I think it's because the adrenalin kicks in. As soon as they say 'action', it goes. I suppose it's because I'm not thinking about it.
"That's my top tip to other mums -get yourself on stage and it's cured!"
Not one to put her feet up during pregnancy, Debra, best known for playing feisty Frankie Baldwin in the hit ITV soap, has now turned her hand to her other passion - singing, in her new show The Soap Queens in Blackpool.
"Ever since I competed in Celebrity Fame Academy last year, I've wanted to sing again," she says. "I used to do cabaret as a kid and always wanted to pick it up again. Now feels like a good time."
Her co-star in the show is former Brookside and Bill actress and Nolan Sister, Bernie.
"I've always admired her and I'm blown away by her voice," Debra says. "She's a mum like me and we're great mates."
She's also grown fond of Blackpool itself, and is glad that this year the British seaside is making a comeback.
"I'm an old-fashioned girl and as a kid I used to go on holidays to Scarborough," she says.
"Blackpool's packed at the moment, and even when the weather's rubbish, there's so much to do.
"A week in the Maldives sounds nice, but for the last three years, my husband and I have holidayed in Cornwall and Devon. We absolutely love it.
"Everyone who saw our pictures thought we'd been to some desert island.
"Plus, where else do you get donkey rides, apart from the good old-fashioned British seaside? And you don't even have to fly to get to it!"
Now that she's leaving Corrie, Debra will have a lot more spare time to focus on herself and family.
SHE'S been in Weather-field for two years now and is set to quit the show at the end of this year.
"The fact that I'm going hasn't really kicked in yet," she says.
"I'm not sure what my ideal exit storyline would be, but the characters I've played on TV so far -Shell Dockley in Bad Girls, and Diane Powell in Playing The Field - have all been sent to Spain when they've left, so maybe I'll go there again!
"To be honest, I'd prefer that to being killed off. Being on Corrie is the best job I've ever had, leaving is going to break my heart.
"And I'd like to think that one day I could return to the show, even if it's just for a short run."
For now, however, Frankie's got her work cut out for her in Weatherfield.
Having had her heart broken by cheating Danny Baldwin (played by Bradley Walsh), she's recently broken up with Nathan Harding (Ray Fearon) and is getting embroiled in a new love affair. Sexy new arrival Liam Connor (Rob James Collier) swoops in to the Street set on seducing Frankie - and squaring up to Danny.
"He causes chaos and there's an instant attraction between the pair," says Debra. "Will they get together? You'll have to wait and see!
"I think she should go back to Danny, despite the fact he's hurt her really badly. She's made him suffer enough and at the end of the day, he's the one she really loves."
Liam's on-screen sister Michelle is played by ex Hear'Say singer Kym Ryder (formerly Marsh), and Debra is a big fan. "We get on very well and it's a shame I'm leaving because she's definitely mate material," says Debra. "She fitted perfectly into the cast and I can see her being a permanent fixture there."
Of her own character she says: "When Frankie first arrived on the Street she was really snooty and a bit of a cow - almost pantomime-like. After Bad Girls I didn't want to play another angel, so I've tried to make her more real and believable. I've turned her into me!"
Debra's leaving the show to spend more time with her builder husband James Duffield, and their three-year-old son Max.
"James has been so supportive and allowed me to follow my dream," she says. "He sold his business down south and moved up here so I could be in Corrie. It was a joint decision for me to leave. I need to get my work/life balance back, and relationships are all about give and take.
"Max is about to start school and we had to think about where he would go. It was tempting to settle up here, but in the end we reverted to plan A and are moving back to South-West London."
With her relentless Corrie schedule and weekly performances in Blackpool, Debra's definitely taken on a heavy workload.
So how does she deal with that all-too-familiar dilemma of juggling her workload and motherhood?
"By having a really supportive man," she immediately replies.
"They say behind every great man is a great woman, but I think it works the other way round as well. Every working mum needs lots of support. My family are nearby in Hull, so they help out too. I don't know what I'd do without them."
NOW in the third week of her Soap Queens stint, she's thoroughly enjoying singing classics from stars such as Shirley Bassey and Judy Garland.
"I love glamour," she says. "My act is a little bit like Stars In Their Eyes in that I do a lot of singing impressions. I've been doing them since I was a kid.
"I suppose I was a little bit like LV from the film Little Voice, played by Jane Horrocks. "In my teens I had a cabaret act that I used to take round the social and working mens' clubs.
"My dad was a huge influence on me. He wrote my scripts and coached me, and my mum made all my costumes.
"One of my earliest memories is listening to old records on our gramophone."
She admits though that after the first half of each performance she hands the reins over to Bernie for the rest of the show.
"I'm in bed by half nine," she says. "I'm getting lots of sleep before the baby is born! It's important not to overdo things."
So when she's had her child, will size eight Debra snap back into shape like so many other celebrities nowadays?
"I do feel under pressure to stay slim," she admits. "I also feel a bit guilty that I'm part of that machine. I know I've appeared in magazines looking slim but I've always stressed that it's more important to be healthy.
"I have done the odd silly diet after I've eaten loads on holiday, but I've never had an eating disorder. And now that I'm pregnant I'm eating a balanced, healthy diet."
She smiles: "Being pregnant is wonderful. It's such an exciting time."