Sanderson joined
Coronation Street in 1999 and left in autumn 2005, when her character left Weatherfield to become a stylist for
Status Quo. and in 2004, the hit fitness
DVD Coronation Street: Funk Fit. Since leaving Coronation Street she has appeared in episodes of the
BBC television series'
Holby City and
New Street Law alongside fellow
Coronation Street alumni
Chris Gascoyne and
Chris Bisson. In 2006, Sanderson appeared in a touring production of
The Vagina Monologues with
Jerry Hall amongst others and an episode of
Kay Mellor's
Strictly Confidential. A keen singer, and
karaoke enthusiast, Sanderson has made several television appearances singing, such as
ITV's
Madonna Mania,
Discomania,
Abba Mania 2 and Celebrity
Stars in Their Eyes, where her impression of
LeAnn Rimes, singing the theme from the film
Coyote Ugly, ''
Can't Fight the Moonlight'' earned her the winner's spot. She has also appeared on
The X Factor: Battle of the Stars in the solo 16–24 category, mentored by
Sharon Osbourne where she was eliminated fifth. At the time, though, Sanderson was suffering from
tonsillitis and was straining her voice to sing. For 2006 and 2007, she was signed by sports fashion footwear brand
KangaROOS for their new print advertising campaign. In June 2007, it was reported that Sanderson would make a brief return to Coronation Street in autumn 2007, when her character, Candice Stowe, turns up during the build up to
Sarah Platt's (
Tina O'Brien) wedding. However these reports were later dismissed by Sanderson during an appearance on
ITV's
Loose Women. She appeared in the "Tuareg Productions" play
Living Under One Roof at the
Theatre Royal,
Nottingham from 26–30 June 2007. Sanderson appeared in the second series of
All Star Family Fortunes which aired on 25 December 2007. She made a second appearance on the first edition of the quiz's fourth series, on 20 September 2009, as part of a team representing
Heartbeat. In 2008, she joined the cast of the
ITV1 series,
Heartbeat, set in the 1960s, to play the part of Dawn Bellamy, PC Phil Bellamy's niece. She plays the part of Audrey in the horror film
Boogeyman 3 released in 2009. She plays the character Gee Gee, a
dance teacher, in the 2008 film
Clubbed, an underworld drama set in the early 1980s. Sanderson featured in the 2010 UK tour of
The Vagina Monologues. Sanderson's first episode was aired on 5 November 2012. In December 2012, Sanderson appeared in pantomime as
Peter Pan at the
Gracie Fields Theatre in
Rochdale. In late 2013, Sanderson, along with her
Hollyoaks co-star and on-screen boyfriend
Jeremy Sheffield, appeared in character as their
Hollyoaks characters Maxine and Patrick in a series of government "This is Abuse" adverts, highlighting the issues of
domestic violence. For her portrayal of Maxine, Sanderson received nominations for the "Best Actress" award at the
British Soap Awards 2014 and 2015. She was also nominated for "Beat Serial Performance" at the
National Television Awards 2015. ==Personal life==