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Coronation Street star Michelle Collins shrugged off criticism of her accent in the show and said she was "bewildered" by the fuss.
She said new characters in soaps always take time to bed in with loyal audiences of the shows.
And Michelle, who joined as Rovers Return bar manager Stella Price last month, said she was "tough" enough to take it.
The actress, appearing on ITV1's This Morning, said: "I'm a big girl, and I'm tough. What annoys me is that I'm quite bewildered by it actually and it's slightly unfair because most of the things they are saying are untrue.
"Coronation Street have made me very welcome, people amongst the cast haven't complained, and to be honest with you I live in Manchester - well, most of the time I'm living up there - and I've been working in Bolton since January, doing a strong Bolton accent in a play."
Michelle is known for her lengthy stint in rival soap EastEnders and said she had experience of taking time to get used to new additions to the cast.
"When the Slaters went in EastEnders, I remember saying to [producer] John Yorke 'I don't like them, they're never gonna work', and about five years later he said 'what did you say to me?' You know, people just have to let you breathe."
