Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan hail "hard work" of retail staff after long shifts at Trafford Centre

Showbiz couple Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan have been hard at work on the shop floor at the Trafford Centre to promote their new fitness brand Aytee7.

And reality star Mark admitted "It's been tough" after the long shifts on Friday and Saturday at the shopping mall.

He has praised all those who work in retail after putting in 12 hour shifts at the Aytee7 pop-up shop outside Selfridges in the Trafford Centre.

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Posting a video after the first day on Friday, he said: "Hats off to anyone who has ever worked in retail, that is not an easy job.

"I've been at it all day, it's been tough. It has been a long day, a 12 hour shift, speaking to customers, selling, restocking."

He added: "I've never worked in retail," before turning the camera to wife Michelle. She chipped in to say "I have, it's hard, it's hard work."

Mark added that friends have asked why he was there doing it all himself. He said: "That's because I like getting my hands dirty, dig in sometimes, experiencing something different."

Mark and Michelle were back on the shop floor on Saturday too, where they were meeting shoppers and talking through the new fitness range.

Mark told the MEN: "I've never actually worked in a shop before. I've been a footballer and I've worked on a building site, but not actually done the retail side before and I've seen that it's not easy - you have to be on it all the time."

Asked why they chose to host the pop-up in the Trafford Centre, he said: "I’m from down south but Manchester is so close to my heart. Michelle and I used to come to the Trafford Centre to hang out when we first got together. We went to the cinema here and for dates it's one of the most