Catherine Tyldesley’s Corrie co-star Nicola Thorp hits out at her and says star ‘needs to make sure bakery is paid’

FORMER Corrie star Nicola Thorp has hit out at Catherine Tyldesley over ‘cake gate’.

Catherine, 39, hit headlines this week after she was accused of trying to blag free birthday cakes – something she insists she knew nothing about.

Nicola Thorp has waded into the Catherine Tyldesley ‘cake gate’ scandalCredit: ITV

Catherine posted a video yesterday hitting out at the baker

Three Little Birds Bakery owner Rebecca Severs refused to work for free

Nicola, who appeared alongside Catherine on the ITV soap, insisted that it was her “duty” to make sure the baker was paid – and that she should never have “shot down another woman”.

A small-business owner shared an email exchange between her and a firm representing an unidentified star now revealed to be Catherine.

It asked for a 40th birthday cake, 100 cupcakes and an extra smaller birthday cake for her husband in return for exposure.

Now, Nicola has waded into the debate during an appearance on Talk TV and sided with the bakery.

Chatting to panellists Penny Smith, Kevin O’Sullivan, JJ Anisiobi and Isabel Oakeshott, Nicola, who was on the soap for around a year with Catherine, said: “I feel sorry first and foremost for the cake woman. She’s brilliant.

“What she said is so clever. She was like, ‘I can’t pay my staff with heart emojis on Instagram’. She’s absolutely right. She runs a business.

“Why on earth should it be expected? Because this PR company are making money somehow. So they are getting money, they are just choosing not to pass it on to her.

“But it’s also not Cath’s fault, Catherine, because she wasn’t aware of it and I believe that because this is just the way these PR companies work.

“I agree, that video was not well-advised at all. She shouldn’t have been shooting down another woman. I believe strongly in this.

“It’s a woman’s business… It happens all the time and I don’t think that’s a good thing and I’m sick of it.”

Nicola continued: “What Cath went on to say in that video, was you know, ‘I use this company all the time and they have provided performers for me’ etc, etc.

“Well, it’s your duty as the person who is having the party done for you, to know that everybody who turns up is being paid.

“That’s a moral duty and also from a PR perspective, you would want to make sure that this kind of thing wasn’t happening.

“I don’t mind it if you are approaching a big hotel chain and you’re saying, ‘Have you got a free night for my client?’, but it’s an individual’s business.”

In the video referenced by Nicola, Catherine took a swipe at the baker telling followers: “Cake gate. What?

“Um, utterly bizarre, I don’t really know what to say. I mean, I hope the cake lady got the exposure she was craving.”

A company organising a 40th bash for the actress had approached baker Rebecca Severs over a hefty order for two bespoke cakes.

However, Rebecca shut down Leeds-based party planners NVRLND who said she would be paid “in the form of social media promotion” by the “well-known celebrity”.

Their brief included a request for a free cake for Catherine’s 40th birthday – which falls in September – with a theme of “pinks, sparkles and a touch of flamingos”.

A second freebie cake was requested for Catherine’s husband, photographer Tom Pitfield, and 100 extra cupcakes.

In a tongue in cheek reply, Rebecca, owner of Three Little Birds Bakery in Keighley, West Yorkshire, wrote back: “I’m so sorry to hear that your client has fallen on such hard times they can’t afford to pay small businesses their products.

“Unfortunately as my mortgage provider doesn’t take payment ‘in the form of promotion on their socials’, and my staff can’t feed their kids with exposure on Instagram, I’ll have to decline your very generous offer.”

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