Coronation Street star Sue Nicholls has talked about the upcoming plot which will see her character Audrey confess that she tried to take her own life.
Viewers saw Audrey in hospital last month, having taking too many sleeping pills, something she passed off as an accident.
Audrey sticks to her story when she sees her GP in this week’s episodes, but next week will finally see her reveal the truth.
When Audrey has lunch with her friends Roy, Rita, Claudia and Ken next week, she’ll confide that the overdose was in fact a suicide attempt.
Lonely times for Audrey
Corrie star Sue Nicholls, who has played Audrey for over 40 years years, explained: “Audrey is very sorry for what she has done and certainly her first reaction was to keep it from her family.
“Family do, and will always, mean so much to her despite the sniping now and again.
“Her family are busy with their own lives,” Sue continues. “They see her down and upset moments as her not being able to cope with the real world and she feels they have started treating her a bit like a child and she started to feel depressed.”
“She is mostly very healthy and together but her depression seemed to take over totally.”
We saw Audrey drinking too much, to her family’s concern. But they didn’t realise she was using it to mask her depression.
You’ve got a friend
Audrey will tell her friends the details of how a neighbour raised the alarm when they noticed something was wrong and called an ambulance.
She’ll admit that she kept her true feelings hidden. As the group of friends discuss growing older, Audrey will tell how she misses her late husband Alfie and has been feeling useless and depressed, turning to drink as a result.
Sue says: “Once she was able to speak with her friends, and they then opened up about their struggles, she realised how much they had helped her immensely regarding her problems.”
“They persuade her to take the doctor’s advice and she thanks them sincerely for making life seem lighter in every way.”
Sue says it’s good to talk
Sue, 79, also spoke on what she hoped viewers could take away from the story: “The importance of being able to talk to people you trust about how you feel,” she says.
“Sometimes the young generation might think that anyone over 70 isn’t capable of making decisions which in turn can make older people lose their sense of purpose and begin to feel quite useless.
She adds: “I do hope this storyline helps older people reach out and start talking about how they feel and for younger people to be aware of how much the older generation still has to offers.”
This storyline falls during the latest campaign under ITV’s mental health initiative, Britain Get Talking. aiming to encourage people to look after their mental health through connecting with others.
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
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