Daniel and Bethany kiss- with devastating consequences?

Daniel seeks misguided solace in the arms of Bethany Platt

With Sinead’s final days drawing closer, the Tinker’s have an early Christmas dinner, which ends in an explosive row between Daniel and his dying wife.

During the family meal, Daniel suggests they call it a night as Sinead needs to rest. Seeing red, Sinead insists that he should leave. When Daniel storms out, he finds misguided comfort in the form of Bethany Platt.

“It’s emotionally complex”, said Corrie boss Iain Macleod. “Is she in love with the fantasy of Daniel or is she in love with the real man? Does she even know the real man?”

With Bethany’s feelings for her friend still very much at the surface, Daniel leans in for a kiss which she reciprocates passionately.

Rob Mallard (Daniel Osbourne) said: “It’s like a ball of fishhooks now because of that cluster of events that all happen together; trying to just isolate one of them and deal with it means you end up pulling all of them up at the same time. He’ll have to untangle all those emotions.”

However, Daniel’s reality can’t be forgotten for long as Ken rounds the corner and witnesses Daniel’s betrayal.

“He has a, already what they’ve been foreshadowing, a self-destruct development. You’ll see that first because that’s the snap of the elastic, isn’t it,” Rob discussed.

With Daniel and Bethany now sharing a guilt, will Daniel reveal the devastating truth to Sinead? Or will he keep it firmly under wraps?

Sophie Williams

Read some more of my general natterings on Twitter @soph_journo

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Spike in Smear Tests following Sinead's Cancer Storyline #Corrie

Coronation Street has been very issues-based of late, and particularly in Wednesday’s episodes the theme running through each story seemed to be “it’s good to talk”. Toyah was lending a sympathetic ear to Ali who’s been trying to detox by going cold turkey. Daniel was struggling to cope with Sinead’s diagnosis and reaction to chemotherapy so he once again turned to Bethany who was all too keen to provide warm words and a shoulder to cry on. Audrey had earlier visited Bethany for a grandmotherly chat knowing there was more to the friendship than she was letting on.

Billy continued to pursue Paul, sensing something terrible had happened to him when he was younger. Paul is obviously yearning to open up, but his autopilot kicks in and he continues to push Billy away.

Derek opened up to Izzy about his drink problems, leading her to offer support which he took as a cue to ask her on a date. 

All across the cobbles, characters are encouraging each other to open up and ask for help. Whether this is just a coincidence or not, it will hopefully have an impact on viewers. And it has been reported that something positive might be happening as a result of Sinead’s heartbreaking cancer storyline. Katie McGlynn, who will soon leave the show, tweeted a message she received from a nurse thanking Corrie and the actor for raising awareness of cervical cancer and screening. The nurse suggests there has been a “huge increase in uptake” of the tests in the past few weeks in her area, as Sinead’s condition worsened in the show.

However we feel about Coronation Street covering human issues to raise awareness – sometimes it can seem like a public service programme rather than a soap - if these topics are making a real difference to people’s lives, long may it continue.

The NHS have an information page about cervical screening tests HERE.

I am on Twitter: @StevieDawson 

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Katie McGlynn interview: Sinead brings baby Bertie home

How does Sinead feel when she first walks through the door with Bertie?
She feels relieved to be away from the hospital with Bertie but there is part of her that is very worried because he is premature and there isn’t any doctors and nurses there looking after him now. She is a panicky mum; she is trying to hide her feelings and act normal but she is terrified.

In the hospital scenes, you were filming with a jelly baby. Are you filming with a real newborn baby now?
Yes, the first scenes we had, the baby was in a moses basket and Rob and I were wondering when we were going to get to hold him. There is a scene where Bertie is meant to be sound asleep and Sinead panics because she sees him in the moses basket, completely silent. But as soon as we started rolling the camera for a take the baby started making noises, every time! That was very funny, but aside from that it’s been really good.

How did that feel when you first held the baby?
I was really nervous because I haven’t had much experience around babies, I only have one niece. They are so small I was scared I might drop the babies but I have just tried to be as natural as possible.

Have you ever filmed with a newborn baby before?
On Coronation Street, I have never filmed with a baby before. I have filmed with twin toddlers before on Waterloo Road and that was hard work but with a baby it’s lovely. It’s really nice because it is a lot easier to connect to a real baby than to act with a doll or a jelly baby because it’s easier to pull the emotion out.

Now that Bertie is home, do Daniel and Sinead feel like a family?
Yes, Sinead is happy but she is also scared that this perfect family bubble is going to pop because it is so amazing for her that she has finally got what she has wanted. It’s still in the back of her head that she is having her cancer treatment and that she is not out of the woods yet.

Do you think Daniel and Sinead will make good parents?
Yes, very good parents. They will be a bit odd because they are an odd coupling but they work well together. They will be very loving parents and they both have Bertie’s best interests at heart. Sinead has looked after Joseph before so she is good with kids.

How is Sinead feeling about her treatment?
She is trying to put on a brave face but she is terrified because although she is happy with her family life but it’s still in the back of her head. She doesn’t want to leave Daniel and Bertie, that’s her biggest fear more than anything.

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Katie McGlynn interview: Can Sinead hide her secret?

How has Sinead been coping since the cancer diagnosis?
She’s struggling because she is worried about her unborn child. Sinead is flirting with the idea of whether to have chemo or not. She’s raised it a few times but since then she’s keeping it to herself. She isn’t coping well at all.

How is Daniel and Sinead’s relationship now?
They are good with each other, they love each other dearly. Sinead feels that Daniel still holds a lot of resentment against her because she kept her cancer diagnosis from him in the first place. I think Daniel tries to put his anger towards Ken rather than Sinead. She’s still keeping a huge secret from him so it can cause a lot of tension for Sinead towards Daniel.

Now that Daniel knows the truth about Sinead’s cancer diagnosis, has Sinead been able to cope better?
She has been given a bit of relief since Daniel found out the truth, but she is still more worried about her unborn child. Daniel just wants Sinead to get better and originally, he wanted her to abort the child. So, throughout everything Sinead is just thinking about her child and what the right options are. Sinead feels she can’t talk to Daniel about her cancer because he wants her to be better, but she wants safety for her baby.

Sinead saw Ken hand Carla a wad of cash? How does Sinead feel when she finds out that Ken is the one paying for her therapy?
At first, she is shocked when she finds out Ken has been the one paying for her therapy. It’s also a nice moment for Sinead though because she realises she has people around her that care about her. It’s another stress for Sinead though because it’s another secret she must keep from Daniel because he thinks Carla has been paying for the treatment.

How are the lies catching up with Sinead? She is still lying to Daniel about having chemo. Why is Sinead still avoiding treatment and why can’t she tell Daniel?
Sinead is still avoiding treatment because she fears for the safety of her baby, she doesn’t want her child to come to any harm. Sinead feels she must hide it from Daniel because he’s going to think it’s a ridiculous idea. She doesn’t want to make Daniel angry or disappoint him because he cares about her health.

What happens at the factory when Daniel comes to collect Sinead for her chemo appointment?
Daniel offers to go with Sinead for her chemo appointment and he meets her at the factory, so they can go together. Sinead has no intention of going to a chemo appointment and with her lying to Daniel about having treatment she just snaps. She feels suffocated, everyone is trying to tell her what to do and model coddle her.

Sinead is consumed with guilt about the web of lies she’s been spinning. Why does Sinead feel she can confide in Billy?
I think she feels she can confide in Billy because of the nature of his character. He’s a Vicar
Sinead feels like she is running out of options and because Billy is a religious man, she feels she can get everything off her chest. Billy is the closest person to God, she hopes her prayers can be answered. Sinead is running out of options and it’s a last resort for her, she’ll try anything to make everything better. She confides in him because she feels she can trust him.

Sinead later finds out that Steff has been rushed to hospital. What does she do?
When Sinead finds out about Steff she goes into panic mode. She is instantly upset by the situation and rushes to the hospital to find out what’s going on.

Once Sinead finds out that Steff only has days to live, what do you think she is thinking?
Once Sinead finds out that Steff hasn’t got long left to live, she feels like she has messed up. She starts to feel she’s made the wrong decision. Sinead is distraught and thinks she’s made everything worse.

How do you think Sinead would feel if her secret was exposed?
I think she would be mortified, but in a way, I think it will be a huge relief for her. She is scared to tell Daniel, but I think deep down she wants him to know so they can sort it out. She’s confused though, she wants to focus on her child’s safety first. I think it’s the conversation she would have to have with Daniel that scares her.

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Katie McGlynn talks to the Blog about heartbreaking times ahead for Sinead

Corrie actor Katie McGlynn has had her fair share of shocking and emotive stroylines over the years, but of late things have been going well for her character Sinead and boyfriend - now "husband" Daniel. Things however are about to take an emotional turn as we've seen in this week's episodes. Following the discovery of something unusual after her first baby scan, Sinead has been told to prepare herself for the possibility of it being cervical cancer. Since then she's been swept away in the romance of a pagan wedding and it looks as if it will be some time before she shares the news with father-to-be Daniel.

Katie sat down with bloggers Stevie and Sophie to chat about how the stroyline has affected her and how she's prepared for the dramatic months ahead:

What was your reaction when you were told about your character’s upcoming storyline?

I was actually over the moon. Because as an actress being challenged like that and having such a big challenging story is what you want. I was upset for Sinead but for Katie I was made up.

How did you prepare for Sinead’s pregnancy storyline?

I met with a charity called Mummy’s Star, which is a charity that helps women who are going through what Sinead is. Until I found out about this storyline it never even occurred to me – as soon as someone said cancer I just assumed older people, and not young people, especially young, pregnant women. It just never occurred to me that people have had to go through that heartbreaking decision that Sinead will face – cancer treatment or having a healthy baby. And if you have the treatment and you have a termination, you probably can’t have kids again.

I spoke to a lady who had breast cancer, she found out when she was around thirty weeks of being pregnant, so she had to go through the chemo and the birth. When she’d had the child she had to take her baby daughter to chemotherapy. Her take on the situation was just heartbreaking. I don’t know how she got through it.

How was it speaking to people really going through it?

As an actress you can old do so much, so it was really helpful. Meeting people that are going through it just brings a different level. The founder of the charity Mummy’s Star is the husband of someone who was diagnosed with cervical cancer whilst pregnant. So they had to go through it all. He was essentially Daniel’s character in real life and when I heard his story I nearly started crying. It was heartbreaking.

I had tears in my eyes just now watching the wedding never mind the rest of it. It must be exhausting having to act it all out?

They can be but you just have to find ways of taking your mind off it. During the week it’s quite difficult if you’re in filming every day but I just try and find things to do outside of work to take my mind off it.

It does tire you out but it has been fun.

Do you feel a sense of responsibility doing this storyline?

Yes definitely it’s a huge responsibility. And that’s why it’s so important to have the charity involved because there are so many elements to it. Things like do you get hair loss? Are we using the right terminology? How would Sinead feel at that time? So yeah I’m very grateful that they are involved.

Sinead hasn’t yet told Daniel the truth. Why is that?

She remembered how he was when she had the abortion. So the last things she wants is to crush Daniel’s world. She sees him for who he really is. So she’s had to go through this process on her own. The last thing she wants is to see the love of her life go through this who process again.

So she wants to find out what’s going on. If it is cancer. She wants to make decisions for herself before she gets anyone else involved. She knows if Daniel gets involved he’ll put Sinead first and not necessarily the baby, and she doesn’t know if she wants to do that. Sinead has tunnel vision at the moment where all she’s thinking about is the child. Her goal in life is to have a family.

Sinead’s torment continues on this Friday’s Coronation Street.

This could be your exit storyline. Is it?

It could be! I don’t know anything. It’s going to be a long, long road so...we’ll see what happens. 

@StevieDawson

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Coronation Street and Rochdale

As soon as I was old enough, I darted out of my home town and went to live in the big city. The older I got though, the fonder I became of the place I grew up. That place is Rochdale in Greater Manchester – a former cotton town that was central to the industrial revolution. Nowadays, Rochdale is often in the news for all the wrong reasons, but I’ve recently spotted that the town has become a regular fixture for location filming on Coronation Street, particularly in and around the town hall. Rochdale has quite a few links to Corrie actually…

AIDAN’S INQUEST

Last Friday was the emotional final part of Aidan Connor’s story. The family gathered to hear and share details of his final hours. Much of Friday’s episodes were filmed at Rochdale Town Hall, both inside and out. Here you can see a stunning stained glass window inside the gothic building, which depicts the Kings and Queens of England and was reportedly admired by Adolf Hitler, who basically wanted to nick it:

BILLY IS STABBED

Billy’s graphic stabbing several months ago took place not far from the Town Hall next to Rochdale police station.

ROCHDALE POLICE STATION

MADISONS (ranked 19 of 325 restaurants in Rochdale)

ROSIE’S BACK

Shortly after Helen Flanagan returned to the Street, the Websters were spotted filming in and around Rochdale Town Hall. The Manchester Evening News reported them being spotted back in February 2017.

CURRENT CAST MEMBERS FROM ROCHDALE

Sinead Tinker is played by Katie McGlynn, who is from Rochdale. She actually went to the same high school as me but clearly benefited from the teachings of Drama head Mr Carroll more than I did.

Katie McGlynn

FORMER CAST MEMBERS FROM ROCHDALE

Michelle Holmes can currently be seen in old episodes of Classic Corrie on ITV3, playing Rovers barmaid Tina Fowler. Michelle was also in Emmerdale and most recently Hollyoaks.

Michelle Holmes

Emma Edmondson  played Mel Morton, part of the short lived Morton family in Corrie. She also went to Wardle High School in Rochdale and was in the year above me. Come to think of it, I’m starting to think Mr Carroll had favourites at that school. Although he did give me the part of Charlie Bucket in a production of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and if I remember rightly, Emma was an Oompa Loompa. So I win.

Emma Edmondson, bottom centre right

Bob Mason, a writer from Rochdale, started his Corrie journey as character Terry Bradshaw (brother of Renee Roberts) in the seventies. Then in the eighties he became the soap’s first regular writer. According to Corriepedia he is one of only eight people to both write and appear in the show. Bob died in 2004.

Bob Mason

And of course the great Julie Goodyear, Corrie’s Bet Lynch is from Heywood just outside Rochdale. Last year Julie was awarded the Freedom of Rochdale, whether she wanted it or not.

Julie, who last appeared in Coronation Street in 2003 said of the gong: “I am honoured, delighted and thrilled to accept this award from Rochdale council. I was born in Heywood and lived here all my life and never wanted to leave and live anywhere else so this is a very special award from the council. Rochdale is one of the best-known towns in the country and some very famous people have come from here so it will be truly wonderful to be given this honour.”

Julie Goodyear with the Freedom of Rochdale

Aside from it’s stunning town hall and the founding of the Co-Operative movement, Rochdale is also famous for actor Anna Friel, singer Lisa Stanfield, the first global superstar Gracie Fields...and my legendary blogs. 

What's the Coronation Street connection to your home town?

@StevieDawson

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