The former Doctors actress joined the ITV soap as Sophie Webster's new cougar lover but said her screen test "wasn’t as sharp" as would have hoped, The Mirror reports.
She told the paper: "I thought I’d blown it and I really wanted the job, so I had a bit of cry to be honest."
Stirling auditioned alongside Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Metcalfe, and Brooke Vincent, who plays Sophie.
She added: "My husband and I have four kids between us and a mortgage and I need to earn a living, so I really wanted the job.”
The Sun Online exclusively revealed Stirling would play Paula Cunliffe, a childhood friend of Sophie's mum Sally who has become a hugely successful lawyer who will help Sally when she faces a fraud probe at the council.
A Coronation Street told The Sun: “Sophie hasn’t had much luck with romance on the cobbles but it appears this time it’s finally going in the right direction for her.
“She allows herself to star t falling in love with the lawyer but Sally is furious when her friend tells her she has feelings for her daughter.
“She’s livid about the age gap and brands her friend a cradle-snatcher.”
Sophie was dumped earlier this year by Kate Connor, played by Faye Brookes. In 2011 fans saw her wedding to Sian Powers called off after she was overheard confessing to a drunken kiss with pal Amber Kalirai.
The unlikely match comes when Sally, played by Sally Dynevor, is forced to call an old lawyer friend after mistakenly handing over council charity funds to a fraudster.
But instead of just focusing on the case in hand, the lawyer pal falls in love with Sophie.
Actress Stirling is no stranger to soaps having most recently appeared in Holby City as Elizabeth Cartwright.
She also starred in Doctors for six years playing Dr Georgina Woodson.
There was also a stint in Casualty, and she has played the Mayor of Walford in EastEnders as part of Max Branning's ill-fated revenge scheme.
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