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Coronation Street bosses sign up high heels campaigner Nicola Thorp to play Pat Phelan’s secret daughter

Actress has landed her big break after shoe row

CORONATION Street bosses have signed up high heels campaigner Nicola Thorp to play Pat Phelan's secret daughter.

The actress has landed her big break less than six months after her headline-grabbing shoe row.

 Nicola Thorp's campaign sparked a Government paper on discrimination laws in the workplace
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Nicola Thorp's campaign sparked a Government paper on discrimination laws in the workplaceCredit: Rex Features

Nicola, 27, was sent home without pay from finance firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was working as a temp receptionist, for not wearing high heels.

The news sparked a nationwide debate — which came to a head as a ­parliamentary report found some women are still being forced to wear high heels, make-up and revealing clothes by their employer.

She has now landed the job of a lifetime after being signed up for Corrie.

 The debate sparked a furore during her appearance on Good Morning Britain
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The debate sparked a furore during her appearance on Good Morning BritainCredit: Rex Features

reports Nicola will play social worker Nicola Rubenstein, whose dad turns out to be Pat.

A Coronation Street source told the publicatio: “Nicola is Seb Franklin’s case worker.

"Phelan knew her mum but wasn’t aware they had a child together."

Nicola, from Hackney, East London, said she was told to leave on her first day at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) London offices.

 Nicola Thorpe will play Pat Phelan's daughter in Corrie
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Nicola Thorpe will play Pat Phelan's daughter in CorrieCredit: ITV
 Nicola is now heading to the Corrie Cobbles
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Nicola is now heading to the Corrie CobblesCredit: Rex Features

She was employed as a temp by PwC’s outsourced reception firm Portico and left stunned after she turned up in flat shoes and told the decision.

The outraged temp started a petition and won huge support from the public.

A hard-hitting report from MPs stated the incident is not isolated and laws protecting women are not up to scratch.

It said firms who force women to wear high heels at work should face “substantial fines” at employment tribunals.

They found discriminatory dress codes were widespread despite being unlawful.

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