Coronation Street Blog: Elle Mulvaney interview: Amy's secret is out

Tuesday 1 February 2022

Elle Mulvaney interview: Amy's secret is out

Why has Amy decided to keep her new boyfriend, Jacob, a secret?

Amy knows about Jacob’s past and she knows he has had issues with her family, particularly with Simon who is her cousin, so she is very conscious that people will be reluctant to accept their relationship. She is also very worried that if she tells everyone who her boyfriend is that her family and friends will resent her so she is trying to avoid conflict.

Whose reaction does Amy fear the most?

Her parents, Steve and Tracy. Amy really values her mum and dad’s opinions and she knows that they are quite strict at times so she is worried about what they will say, what they think and what they will do.

Amy has planned to meet Jacob at her house while her family is out. But Steve comes home before Amy and catches Jacob inside No.1. Mistaking him for an intruder, Steve calls the police. What’s the first that Amy hears of this?

Amy comes home with a takeaway as she is planning to meet Jacob at No.1 but when she gets home, Tracy is already there and she explains to Amy that Steve has caught someone trying to rob the house. Amy puts two and two together and she thinks, “Oh no! Jacob has been in the house when they have come home.” Amy thought that Steve and Tracy would be out all night because that’s what they had told her, so she had invited Jacob over in secret. The moment she sees that Tracy is home is the first warning sign because she wasn’t expecting to see her back at the house… and that’s when it all goes downhill! Amy is in utter shock, she is lost for words. She looks at Tracy like, “What am I going to say to her? How am I going to get around this?” Amy is like a deer caught in headlights, she has been caught red-handed.

Amy sends her family to the Rovers, telling them she wants some peace. But as she is sneaking out of No.1, Steve catches her. What’s Amy’s first thoughts at this moment?

Amy thinks, “Not again! This is just my luck!” Every time she tries to see Jacob, whether that's sneaking him into her house or sneaking out to meet him, she is caught. Amy is in another state of shock and she knows she needs to think of an excuse immediately. Amy is good at making up excuses on her feet because she learnt from the best, her mum Tracy.

What does Amy see in Jacob?

Amy sees the kinder side to Jacob, she sees his personality and she sees his humour. Jacob has a softer side that no one else really sees whereas she does because she has spent more time getting to know him so that is why she feels a connection to him. Amy likes to find the good in people, her ex boyfriend Tyler was also a drug dealer so she must be looking for the good in people. I really want Amy and Jacob to work because I think they are such a good match.

Amy lies to Steve, telling him that the police called and they’ve released Jacob pending further investigations. How does she feel about lying to her parents?

Amy is really not happy about it. She loves and values her relationship with her parents so to have to lie to them isn’t something that she wants to do. She feels like she is in an awkward position because she doesn’t want to lie to her parents but she doesn’t want to stop seeing Jacob so she is stuck. She knows she has to decide between being truthful to her parents and continuing her relationship with Jacob because she knows she can’t do both.

How do you think Tracy and Steve would react to finding out her secret boyfriend is Jacob?

I think they would completely hit the roof! They would flip out and not be supportive in the slightest because they see Jacob for what he was; being a drug dealer and getting her cousin, Simon, involved in drugs. They would be very reluctant to forgive Jacob in the way that Amy has.

When Summer works out that Jacob is the boyfriend that Amy has been hiding, what’s going through Amy’s head?

A part of Amy wants her friends to work it out and I think that is why she keeps on giving them hints. She wants them to figure it out but she is doing it in a way that she is not giving them too much information in case of their reaction. She wants to test them to see how they feel about the idea that her and Jacob are together, without actually saying it. When she finds out that her friends know, she is intrigued by what they think. She is not panicking but she feels awkward because she is trying to gauge their reaction. She is glad that they know and now she is trying to get them onboard.

Amy is 18 years old now, how grown up does she feel?

Amy is already quite grown up. She has been through a lot which has matured her and so I don’t think the 18th milestone will change her much.

Do you think we will see a change in dynamics with her parents now that she has hit 18?

Possibly, I think that as she gets older they may become less strict and accept, finally, that their baby is growing up. But I think that will also take a lot of time because Steve and Tracy are very reluctant to the idea that Amy does have to grow up!

Would you say Amy is more like Tracy or Steve?

She has bits of both but I do think she is more like Tracy because Amy is very wise but she is good at making up excuses and thinking fast on her feet like Tracy. Amy has a funny side which obviously comes from Steve but Tracy can see right through people and I think Amy can too. Tracy and Amy don’t take anyone’s rubbish.

What advice would you give to Amy?

I would tell Amy to follow her heart. If she follows her heart, it will all work out.

Glenda Young

Novelist published by Headline