CASH-strapped Corrie stars are “at war” after glamorous Samia Longchambon and Sair Khan were cleared to take lucrative brand deals — while others were blocked, it is claimed.
Samia, 42, featured in a reel for Marks & Spencer alongside her Dancing on Ice husband Sylvain Longchambon, plugging its cafe’s seasonal menu.
Sair, 37, meanwhile, was allowed to upload a glossy video of a posh, £2,500 Italian oven from Bertazzoni.
Strict ITV rules all but ban commercial work for soap talent without pre-approval from executives.
An insider said Samia and Sair’s ad deals have angered colleagues, struggling under the soap’s budget cuts, who claim to have had similar work offers blocked.
One actress, who says she has had two deals knocked back this year, told The Sun: “It’s one rule for the polished PR favourites, and another for the rest of us.
“If you’re not part of the golden circle, forget it.
“They wouldn’t let most of us even do a teeth-whitening collaboration, meanwhile Samia’s out there posing with pastries.
“It’s a total p**s take.
“We’ve been told time and time again: no ads, no endorsements — not so much as a candle on Instagram.
“But then Samia pops up in a full-blown promo for M&S and everyone’s just supposed to pretend it’s normal?
“People are keeping quiet as they don’t want to rock the boat or get the boot but there’s a lot of anger.
“Why are some allowed to cash in while the rest of us struggle?”
Samia has played the Street’s Maria Connor on and off since 2000 while Sair has portrayed Alya Nazir since 2014.
According to internal documents, outside work must be pre-approved, must not conflict with ITV’s commercial partners or damage an actor’s character’s integrity.
It comes amid a cash crisis for the long-running soap.
We revealed in April how bosses are reducing filming schedules, putting actors on part-time contracts and reworking scenes to stretch airtime to cut costs and raise revenue.
A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: “We do not discuss individual cases, but the cast are aware that all requests for commercial deals go through an approvals process and are dealt with on a case by case basis.”
