Coronation Street fans have poured praise on actress Lucy Fallon as her character’s sexual grooming storyline reached a new harrowing climax.
Bethany Platt broke down in the second of the ITV soap’s two-part episode after her mother Sarah (Tina O’Brien) rescued her from the home of older fiance Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper), who had arranged for her to spend an evening with yet another one of his friends.
Sarah and Gary Windass (Mikey North) found her drunk and unconscious in Nathan’s flat and brought her home, but Bethany flew into a panicked rage when they stopped her from returning.
Amazing performances from @lufallon @tinaob and Mikey North in tonight’s episode. How can they save Bethany? https://t.co/vJtBGnbrAG #Corrie pic.twitter.com/A7qD8SSupn
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) May 19, 2017
She stabbed Gary in the arm with broken glass before making her escape and the episode finale found her sobbing and bleeding as she hid under a bridge.
Viewers applauded the 21-year-old star for her portrayal of teenage Bethany’s desperate situation.
@itvcorrie Amazing scenes from @lufallon tonight as always.Hard to watch Bethany be treated badly but so well acted and good to raise awareness.#Corrie
— Jillian Birnie (@Jjb2804) May 19, 2017
@itvcorrie So sad too think this actually happens! Brilliant acting from everyone! Especially @lufallon 💛
— Kirsty (@Kirstt_03) May 19, 2017
@itvcorrie Poor Bethany @lufallon amazing acting and good for you @itvcorrie for highlighting this story
— heather (@hev_w) May 19, 2017
@itvcorrie I want to cry well done to the cast you have all put in sterling performances lufallon Tina o’brien mike north
— ourcaz (@CSJ56) May 19, 2017
@itvcorrie @lufallon @tinaob Great acting from @lufallon I really enjoyed tonight’s episode ❤❤❤
— ❤DonnaMay30👻 (@DonnaMay30) May 19, 2017
Lucy has spoken openly throughout the sexual exploitation story amid swarms of viewer complaints that it is too grim for the pre-watershed audience.
While she has admitted she sometimes struggles to watch her own episodes, she has also shared her belief that grooming is a crucial topic for the soap.
Her performance on Friday had fans calling for awards…
@itvcorrie @lufallon @tinaob @lufallon does deserve the British Soap Award for her performance in #Corrie as Bethany
— William Fairchild (@wfairchild72) May 19, 2017
@itvcorrie @lufallon @tinaob All three were brilliant, @lufallon deserves a BSA
— Kathy (@KC_Friendie) May 19, 2017
Lucy has already secured a best actress nomination at next month’s British Soap Awards, along with co-star Kym Marsh, who portrayed Michelle Connor’s heartbreaking miscarriage story earlier this year.