IT'S not unusual to see soap stars in the I'm A Celebrity jungle, or to spot their faces smiling out at you from fitness DVDs, and gossip magazines in the supermarket.

But when Sally Ann Matthews joined the Coronation Street cast in 1986, playing schoolgirl Jenny Bradley, fame was a completely different beast.

"There was Woman's Own and that was about it. There were no celebrity magazines, no Twitter and Facebook, and there was no celebrity culture," says the actress, who was 15 when she landed the part of Alan Bradley's flame-haired daughter.

That's not to say Matthews and Mark Eden, who played her villainous on-screen father, didn't receive their fair share of attention; more than 26 million viewers tuned in to watch Alan meet his untimely death in a tram crash in 1989.

This month, after an absence of more than two decades, the actress is returning to the Weatherfield cobbles to reprise her role as Jenny - last seen in 1993 trying to persuade foster mum Rita (Barbara Knox) to cough up for her business idea.

And while much has changed on and off-camera for the soap, which unveiled its new set on Manchester's Salford Quays in 2013, Matthews was surprised to discover how "remarkably calm" she was when she arrived to start shooting.

"It's in a completely different location, which is amazing, and it's a much bigger show," adds the actress, whose hair is now a glossy strawberry blonde.

"But going back, Helen Worth [who plays Gail McIntyre] said to me, 'It's just like riding a bike', and it was. It all felt strangely familiar and yet completely different."

Now a 43-year-old divorcee, Jenny is set to make her return as Kevin Webster's new love interest, having met the mechanic on an online dating site.

"She's single, she's been nervous about dating, she sees him and she probably always quite fancied him back in the day, and just thinks, 'Why not?'"

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Matthews admits the Street doesn't welcome the former Kabin paper-girl back with open arms.

Jenny also has a few skeletons in her closet.

"Kevin's pleased to see her - he's about the only one who is pleased, initially," says the Oldham-born star, who originally left the show in 1991, aged 21, and returned for a stint in 1993.

First and foremost there's Rita, who still hasn't forgiven Jenny for her brass-necked attempt to get £30,000 from her.

Teenage Jenny was working for Rita at the Kabin when her mother died in a car crash. She was placed in temporary foster care with Rita, and reunited with her estranged father Alan, who went on to embark on a romance with Rita.

Things turned sour - and violent - when Rita confronted Alan about his cheating and dodgy dealings, and he ended up serving time for trying to kill her.

After his release, he followed an emotionally distressed Rita to Blackpool, where he ended up being killed by a tram.

Jenny blamed Rita for her father's downfall, but the pair mended their relationship - until their fall-out over money, when Rita sent Jenny packing.

"Rita's not happy," says Matthews.

"The scenes I've had with Barbara have been picking up where we left off as actors."

Her return also ruffles Kevin's highly-strung ex Sally (played by Sally Dynevor), who doesn't take kindly to Jenny romancing the father of her children.

"Sally will be defensive about Kevin [Michael Le Vell] and Sophie [Kevin and Sally's daughter, played by Brooke Vincent]," says Matthews.

"I love what Sal's doing and I love the way her character has developed into this incredible snob, she's hilarious."

Last but not least, there's the rest of the Street, not a community known for their discretion or impartiality.

"When Jenny comes back, she meets people she's never met before, and they're all quite nice to her. Then somebody has a word and attitudes change...."

If she receives any negative attention off-screen for playing Jenny, the mum-of-two is ready.

"This is going to get horrendous [on Twitter]," she says with a laugh. "I've already got familiar with the block button."

After leaving Corrie, Matthews went on to appear in Brassed Off, and TV shows Waterloo Road and Emmerdale.

Jenny's comeback has been "discussed for a long time", and while Matthews isn't sure whether she'll become a permanent fixture, she's enjoying being back.

"It does feel like I've come full circle," she adds.

l Sally Ann Matthews returns to Coronation Street as Jenny Bradley on STV tonight