Paul Foreman’s child abuse storyline in Coronation Street is a tough one to watch, and even more so to play, Jane Hazlegrove has revealed.
The actress, 51, appeared on Lorraine today (November 15) and clearly became emotional when the Scottish presenter played back some of Paul scenes with his mum, Jane’s character Bernie Winter.
Read more: Coronation Street SPOILERS: Michelle finds out the truth about Robert TONIGHT!
After watching a preview clip of Paul telling Bernie that she’d failed him as a mother, due to air on Friday (November 22), Jane was visibly choked up.
The scene showed a distraught Paul telling his mum: “I loved him. And he stopped loving me. He binned me off.
“I was going off the rails. And what did you do about it? You threw me out. You made a mess of [protecting me], didn’t you? You failed me.”
Read more: Coronation Street star Jean Fergusson dies aged 74
Admitting she was teary because of how proud she is of actor Peter Ash, she said: “Peter was so brilliant. It was a massive monologue. He really worked so hard. It was quite contained in the studio. They are all so brilliant. I love my family so much.”
She had no idea what was happening and we’re about to find out the consequences.
When Lorraine accused Bernie of being “oblivious” to Paul’s abuse, Jane said: “Paul left home when he was 14, Kel had been living in the house for some time. She had no idea what was happening and we’re about to find out and the consequences of that aren’t going to be great, I’m afraid.”
Discussing how sensitively the topic had been dealt with, she continued: “For everybody, when something like this is revealed, it affects every single person.
“Not just Paul and everything he’s buried, it’s every single person around them. It ripples through the family forever.”
Viewers know that Paul has been tortured by the devastating secret that he was sexually abused by his mother’s boyfriend as a teenager, believing they had a consensual relationship.
Only recently, when Kel came back into their lives, did Paul realise Kel had groomed him and taken advantage of him.
Jane also opened-up about returning to the soap after over three decades away, admitting it was “frightening”.
Jane, who previously played Sue Clayton on the cobbles back in the 80s, said: “Oh my word, that’s the sort of arrogance of youth, I wasn’t nervous at all then. But now, a woman in my 50s, it was really frightening, because it’s Coronation Street.
“It’s a big gig, and I don’t want to let the show down, and I don’t want to let myself down, or the family or anything.
“I was absolutely petrified, but dear Dolly [Rose Campbell] and Sam [Aston], who play Gemma and Chesney… They just sort of push me around and guide me to the green room and work out when I need a cup of tea, and things like that. It’s pretty full on.”
Before returning to Corrie, Jane was perhaps best known for playing Kathleen ‘Dixie’ Dixon on Casualty, a role she also recently returned to.
Are you looking forward to seeing the moment Kel’s abuse is exposed? Let us know on our Facebook page @EntertaimentDailyFix.