Ex-Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley has found herself embroiled in an “utterly bizarre” row with Three Little Birds Bakery over a request for free cakes. The bakery, located in Keighley, West Yorkshire, received a proposal from an events agency to create a cake and 100 cupcakes for the birthday of an unnamed “well-known” celebrity. Subsequently, it was revealed that the celebrity in question was Tyldesley.
In return for the cake and cupcakes, the events agency offered to promote the bakery on social media and in OK! magazine. However, the bakery declined the offer, with owner Rebecca Severs asserting that “exposure on Instagram” wouldn’t cover their expenses or feed her staff’s families. In a post shared on social media, the bakery expressed disappointment at the celebrity’s alleged inability to compensate small businesses and questioned the concept of “women supporting women.
Tyldesley, upon learning of the bakery’s response, took to Instagram to address the issue. In an Instagram video story, she stated that she had no knowledge of the emails exchanged and found the whole situation “utterly bizarre.” She referred to the matter as “cake gate” and expressed hopes that the bakery received the “exposure” it desired.
The actress clarified that she was not associated with OK! magazine and identified the events agency as NVRLND, describing them as an “amazing” company that had previously provided performers for her. She defended the agency, asserting that they had been misrepresented in the situation.
The incident has garnered significant attention, with the bakery’s original post receiving over 2,000 likes. However, the bakery also claimed that it has faced threats of legal action from NVRLND for alleged defamation in its social media post.
The row has shone a spotlight on the bakery and the celebrity involved. Catherine Tyldesley played the role of Eva Price in Coronation Street from 2011 to 2018 and has since been involved in various acting projects, including BBC drama Lilies and sitcom Scarborough. She also participated as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019.
