Coronation Street fans were left reeling after the show teased a heartbreaking split for one of its favourite characters.
Bethany Platt has made a dramatic return to the cobbled streets of Weatherfield, following disastrous cosmetic surgery in Turkey which unfortunately turned septic. Lucy Fallon's character, Bethany, now bears the aftermath of a permanent stoma, leaving her reeling from the traumatic experience.
The emotional turmoil for Bethany reached a peak in soul-stirring scenes on Friday as she expressed doubts about the future of her relationship with Daniel, worrying if he still wanted to be with her after her ordeal. While Daniel reassured her of his unwavering commitment, Bethany couldn't shake off the fear that he would reunite with his ex-partner, Daisy.
In a poignant conversation with Daniel, Bethany confided: "When we first got together, I wasn't the person that I am now. It changes the way I see myself, it changes the way I see us. You didn't sign up for this. You deserve better."
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Daniel countered her insecurity with firm affection, declaring: "Bethany I love you. Better? You mean Daisy. I don't want Daisy, I want you," despite Bethany's insistence that: "I'm not going to ever be the same Daniel; we will never be the same."
This led him to frustration and almost leaving the room before Bethany pleaded for him to acknowledge the harsh reality.
Confused and distraught, Bethany uttered: "I don't know what I'm saying, I need to think," even as Daniel pressed for a discussion - but Bethany requested only one thing for him to leave.
Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, has openly acknowledged the "pressure" she feels to accurately portray a character living with a stoma.
She shared: "When I first heard about it I was pleased that they have trusted me with it because it's an important storyline and of course I really enjoy doing issue based storylines. Obviously this is really hard-hitting, which is exciting from an actor's point of view, but it does come with quite a lot of pressure and responsibility to get it right because this happens to real life people.
"The storyline is also incredibly important as there's countless horror stories out there of people talking about their experiences of cosmetic surgery abroad. I really hope this storyline can make people rethink going abroad for cosmetic surgery."
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 and ITVX at 8pm.
