Until the coat is found with the pregnancy testing kit in and everyone starts asking questions, we had no idea that Summer is pregnant. Has she been hiding it for long and how does she feel?
I don't think she’s hidden it for very long, I think it’s more the case that she's done a pregnancy test in the morning, shoved it in her pocket, panicked for the day and I think she's just been in her own head, not really connected to many people in her own little world. Then when the denim jacket goes missing at the clothes swap, that's when panic sets in. For the day it's just been her secret, and she can think about how she wants to deal with it, then when that pregnancy test goes missing, it's like someone else is going to find out about this really soon and I need to come up with a plan to deal with this.
So how does she feel when she's sort of publicly outed?
I think from me looking at it as Harriet, it's probably the best thing that could have happened because I don't know if Summer would have actually ended up telling anyone for a long time. I think she probably would have kept it to herself. So from the outside looking in, it probably was for the best that someone found out. She has to tell Paul because he realises that it's Summer’s. She speaks to him about it and then she goes and tells Aaron.
How do you think she's feeling because this pregnancy is a shock to Summer?
I don't think she's had time to process it. I think her first reaction is not a great one. It's not happy. It's not what you'd want to feel when you first find out that you’re pregnant. I think she suddenly goes into panic mode, Summer is the type of person who risk assesses everything and thinks of the worst case scenario. And I think that is what she's done when she's found out she's pregnant. They're not ready as a couple, and she's not ready. She's got her own issues to deal with.
What sort of reaction does she get from the men in her life, as she’s got quite a few men in her life hasn’t she?
She's got a boyfriend, then she's effectively got three dads and not a mum to talk to about this. Paul finds out all first and he’s probably the most understanding dad in the sense that he sees her as a young woman and he's not constantly worried about her unlike Billy. So he reacts quite calmly and just takes it a step at a time and thinks, right, well, what's the next thing we're going to do? After talking to him then she does go and tell Aaron, and he's very understanding. They get back together in that moment and he says let's not make a decision now, we need to just come to terms with it. But then Todd and Billy find out and it's just like panic stations, it's kind of the opposite reaction, it's all we need to make a decision. They want to figure it all out now rather than come to terms with it and let her make a decision in her own time.
Obviously she's got her diabetes to take into account as well. Is that something that she's particularly worried about? Does she know much about her diabetes and pregnancy?
No I don't think she does, because she's such a young girl and she's not thought about getting pregnant. She's still coming to terms with dealing with her diabetes so I don't think she’s thought about possible complications with having diabetes in pregnancy. I think the main concern with Summer’s condition is the eating disorder and her body image. They do discuss later on what the pregnancy is going to do to her body and how her mind will cope with that. They’re all worried that on top of managing her diabetes and medication she’d have to manage her pregnancy at the same time and come to terms with her changing body shape. It's a lot to take on board and obviously her and Aaron have had their troubles too and only just got back together.
Do you think that their relationship is a good relationship? Is it strong enough to withstand a pregnancy this early on?
I think they do really care about each other and they do love each other but there are so many other issues that come into their relationship, obviously, both having diabetes, then Aaron's got this rocky relationship with his dad at the minute and we find out that he's going through his own stuff at home. All of this factors in their relationship and possibly sets them up for a bit of a fall. They're on shaky ground to start off with. They do have this love there for each other but is everything else that’s going on actually going to allow them to be together. Then now there's another huge added pressure on their relationship with the pregnancy. He’s just saying let’s take the time to think this through.
Then at the same time you've got Mike and Esther suggesting that they could adopt the baby. What's Summer’s reaction to that? Is she shocked?
Yeah she’s completely shocked, she doesn't really know Mike and Esther, she literally met them a week before this happens. I think she knows that they are good people and she trusts that her judgement of them is a good one but Summer has a strong moral compass and as soon as they suggest it she’s debating in her head is this even right? Is this illegal? It sounds crazy to her but then when she speaks to Esther, she connects to her as a woman. I think she understands and really sympathises with her position that she just wants to be a mother. I think when Summer starts to understand that she softens and actually considers the proposal, it's a big consideration.
You've got on one hand someone who's desperate to be a mum, then on the other someone who hadn't even really thought about being a mum. She's got a big decision to make, do you think that she's going to make that decision on her own or be swayed by outside influences?
I think at the end of the day, she's got to make her own decision. Something else that factors into this is that Summer was adopted. She doesn't know who her biological parents are, and she's really happy with the way that her life has turned out being with Billy. So to think that her baby would have a better life somewhere else, if that's something she feels she can't provide, then it’s not something she’s opposed to. I do think sometimes there's too many cooks in the kitchen in Summer's life. There are so many different opinions and it's not like everyone in Summer’s life thinks that one decision is the right decision. Everyone's telling her to do different things and I think when it boils down to it it’s Summer that's going to have to step up and say, no, this is what I want to do.
What did you think when you read this storyline, she's been through so much already with her diabetes, her eating disorder, her A-levels, not getting into uni, boyfriend troubles, did you hope she was getting a break or do you enjoy these grittier storylines?
A bit of both really, Summer just wants this normal life, to get herself a job, get back on track a little bit and to find herself again because she lost that during the last year. But then yes, she just keeps getting these curveballs and it's like, okay, here's another hurdle that I'm gonna have to deal with. So yeah, I was quite shocked, but I was so excited, because obviously, you want to be able to do these stories, you want these curveballs. There are so many different opinions about this storyline and so many conversations to be had that it’s really exciting to play. I feel so lucky that they are keeping me busy and that people are enjoying seeing me on screen, I don't think I'd have it any other way.
Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor
Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
