ITV Coronation Street star admits parenting fears as confessional post prompts support

Coronation Street's Samia Longchambon hit out at social media for piling pressure on those scrolling, as she reminded followers in an impassioned Instagram post that they were merely seeing each seemingly perfect person's "highlights". Sharing a photo of herself squinting in the sun, as she enjoyed this week's soaring temperatures, the Corrie actress poured her heart out.

"Just a thought.. (might delete later)," she warned her 448,000 followers with a cheeky laughter emoji. "I love Instagram but one thing I need to work on is scrolling and then feeling like I’m not doing enough in life.. whether it be having enough fun, doing enough as a parent, being more ambitious, travelling more.. or even being better at tidying my home!" she exclaimed.

"Insta is great for showing off our ‘highlights’ but sometimes we need to remind ourselves (myself included) that what we see on here is the tiniest slice of what is going on in someone’s life."

She added: "We’re all pretty much winging it in life so let’s just do our best, wish each other well and be at peace with wherever we are at. Do you know what I mean?" Samia shares 14-year-old daughter Freya with ex-husband Matthew Smith, while she also has eight-year-old son Yves with her current husband, Dancing On Ice star Sylvain Longchambon.

Fans urged her not to delete the no-holds-barred post, as they admitted they felt inspired knowing that she was having the same struggles as them. "Once you start scrolling you sort of fall down a hole... then before you know it so much time has passed, and it’s not always positive, so I get where you're coming from," one wrote.

Another follower, actor Mark Murphy, warned: "I try to remember that comparison is the thief of joy. Just focus on yourself and what makes you feel good, don't worry about what everyone else is doing." Samia responded that he was "so right".

Then a third chimed in: "Everyone feels the same, even the influencers I expect. If you and your family are happy, then that's all that counts."

Samia has experienced fears that she might not be doing enough as a parent both in her real life and on-screen, as her character has acted out harrowing scenes with her Corrie son, Liam.

Played by Charlie Wrenshall, Liam has been relentlessly bullied at school and even threatened with a knife.

Although justice was finally served on the bully when he was landed with a custodial sentence, the ordeal left young Liam traumatised.

Desperate Maria was wracked with fear and vowed to sleep in the same room as her son until he healed - something which didn't go down well with her partner Gary Windass (Mikey North).

When he accidentally overdosed on pills which he thought might help with a health complaint, Maria assumed the worst, thinking her son had attempted suicide as he'd previously considered doing - and she was in bits.

While real life might not be as harrowing for Samia as it is for her character, she admitted that she does feel the pressure to compare herself to others who seem to successfully have it all.

Meanwhile, fans prompted a more light-hearted mood when they quizzed her on her heart-themed bracelet and necklace, which she divulged were from Tiffany and co, and on where to buy her lipstick.

However, a bemused Samia responded with a tears of laughter emoji, quipping: "I don't have any on!"