What was your initial reaction when you found out about Bethany’s upcoming storyline?
When I first heard about it I was pleased that they have trusted me with it because it’s an important storyline and of course I really enjoy doing issue based storylines. Obviously this is really hard-hitting, which is exciting from an actor’s point of view, but it does come with quite a lot of pressure and responsibility to get it right because this happens to real life people. The storyline is also incredibly important as there’s countless horror stories out there of people talking about their experiences of cosmetic surgery abroad so I really hope this storyline can make people rethink going abroad for cosmetic surgery.
Do you think Bethany had any intention to get liposuction from the get go? Or was it a spur of the moment decision?
I don’t think Bethany had any intention to get liposuction at all, I think it was a spur of the moment decision. She didn’t state she was having liposuction or any type of surgery on her travel insurance, so I do think it was something she just decided once out there, which she will forever regret, I do also think she may have been talked into it when she went out there.
What do you think drove Bethany to make that decision?
I think Bethany’s confidence and self esteem has always been really low especially after everything that happened with Nathan and the grooming storyline. With her insecurities, I think she’s always had it in her to do something like this. She’s also constantly comparing herself to Daisy and has been feeling particularly bad thinking that Daniel might want to be with Daisy instead of her so I think she wanted to do something that would ultimately make her feel more confident, but without realising the danger she was putting herself in.
Sarah is the one who has to break the news to Bethany that not only she’ll have a stoma bag for life, but that her insurance is void as she never declared her surgery. How will Bethany take this?
Bethany will take it really badly because obviously it wasn’t her intention to get the surgery in the first place so now that she has not only affected her own life, but severely affected everyone’s life around her, she’s going to feel horrifically guilty. Now that the pressure is on the Platt’s to raise the funds to pay for her medical bills and get her home, she’s just going to feel like it’s the end of the world.
Do you think being fitted with a stoma will affect her relationship with Daniel?
Definitely. At first, she’s embarrassed and worried about being intimate and actually, It’s made her feel even more insecure than she ever felt before. Daniel is a really supportive boyfriend so I think with him trying to support and encourage Bethany, she will ultimately just push him away because of her insecurities.
How does Bethany actually feel about everything?
Bethany feels really embarrassed and ashamed of what she’s done and put everyone through. I don’t think Bethany will want anyone to know what’s happened to her and how she’s ended up with the stoma bag. Obviously she feels it’s entirely self inflicted, which it is, but of course she wasn’t to know this was going to happen and go disastrously wrong which is why she is feeling humiliated.
Did you know anything about stomas before filming this storyline?
I knew a little bit about stomas before filming the storyline because I had seen more and more people talk about it on TV and social media. There’s quite a lot of pages and people on TikTok who promote stoma positivity which is great. So I did know a little bit, but not as much as I do now.
How did you prepare for this storyline?
We worked closely with Colostomy UK who have been incredible. I had a meeting with two people from the charity who gave me a lot of insightful information and told me their thoughts and experiences of life with a stoma. They also spoke about what life was like for them after getting a stoma fitted, their struggles, what has changed and what hasn’t changed which was really helpful listening to everything they had to say. As I also mentioned before, I’ve been doing a lot of my own research on social media like TikTok where you can actually watch people changing their stoma bags and hear about their experiences too.
What will the next couple of months look like for Bethany?
The next couple of months are definitely going to be really challenging for Bethany. I think her biggest struggle will be coming to terms with the fact that this is something she’s done to herself. Hopefully in time, which I know she will, she’ll start to accept what’s happened and realise that having a stoma hasn’t actually affected her life as much as she probably thought it would, but I do think it will take a couple of setbacks and bumps in the road to eventually get there.
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