Entertainment

Corrie's Bethany grooming story will get 'loads worse', says star Lucy Fallon

Her boyfriend has stopped watching the show.
Her boyfriend has stopped watching the show. Her boyfriend has stopped watching the show.

Coronation Street star Lucy Fallon has said things will get “loads worse” in the Bethany Platt grooming storyline throughout the summer and revealed her boyfriend has stopped watching because of the disturbing scenes.

Lucy, 21, has been at the centre of the harrowing plotline as vulnerable schoolgirl Bethany is sucked into the dark world of Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper) as he encourages her to sleep with strange men.

Coronation Street Bethany and Neil
Coronation Street Bethany and Neil
Bethany’s storyline is set to get even darker (Mark Bruce/ITV)

Viewers watched in horror on Wednesday evening as she agreed to marry him after he manipulated her into telling him she would never leave him and would do anything for him.

Last Friday she was raped by Nathan’s friend Neil and on Friday’s show she will be encouraged to have sex with Neil’s friend Ian.

Fallon told the Press Association: “Things get loads worse, they really do. In the next few weeks you will start to see things get worse and worse. You will see this goes on for a bit.

Coronation Street Bethany, Neil and Ian
Coronation Street Bethany, Neil and Ian
Bethany is confronted by Neil and his friend Ian (Mark Bruce/ITV)

“I think we know it’s going on through the summer until the autumn and we know the end.”

Fallon said she was encouraged to voice her opinion how the storyline will conclude, as were the charities the show has worked with.

She said: “I’ve known how it was going to end because I’ve been speaking to Kate (Oates, the show’s producer) about how it’s going to pan out.

Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Bethany and Nathan make uncomfortable viewing (ITV)

“We got a say in how it’s going to end, the NSPCC got a say too, it’s been really good, everyone has given their advice. I think it’s going to be a really good ending.”

The actress added that watching last week’s rape scene was much harder than filming it.

She said: “I didn’t watch it when it was on, I watched it later on my own. My boyfriend doesn’t want to watch it but my mum and dad watched it and they text me saying it was good.

(ITV)
(ITV)
(ITV)

“It was harder to watch than to film. When we filmed it it was done in about 20 minutes, the director was really quick and sensitive.

“It was hard but over in half an hour and then I drove home. It was harder to watch.”

She added that her boyfriend Tom Leech, 26, has not seen the show since the storyline began, saying: “He doesn’t particularly watch it all the time anyway but when Nathan started to get introduced he stopped.

“He’s really supportive of the story though, I’ve shown him the scenes I’ve got and he read the scenes with Neil.“On Friday, my dad text me saying that it was brilliant but I want to punch him in the face. My mum is happy I’m doing the story but it’s harder for my dad.”Coronation Street continues on Friday at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.