Coronation Street’s Sarah Platt is grappling with her daughter’s surgery ordeal when an ex leaves a voicemail for her – actress Tina O’Brien says he’s the one that ‘understood’

The Platt family has been thrown into turmoil after Bethany secretly underwent a liposuction procedure in Turkey that went horribly wrong. The botched operation resulted in Bethany contracting sepsis and being left with a permanent stoma in ITV soap, Coronation Street.

To make matters worse, the Platts are now faced with mounting hospital bills as Bethany’s insurance is deemed invalid. “Sarah went into autopilot when it first happened and snapped right into mum mode,” shares Tina O’Brien, who portrays the worried mother Sarah. “When she learns about the insurance situation, Sarah’s initial reaction is, ‘What on earth are we going to do?’ She fears they will be arrested and stuck in the country. It’s a terrible situation for the entire family and Sarah feels like she’s living a nightmare.”

In the midst of their troubles, Sarah receives a voicemail from her old flame Damon Hay (Ciarán Griffiths), who is currently serving time in prison for six years, raising questions about whether she still harbours feelings for him.

“She’ll always have a little bit of something for Damon there’s just something there,” Tina acknowledges. “I think he got her, he really understood her, and he didn’t judge her. I think she understands that whatever happens, he’s got her back, and I think she really trusts him.

“But right now, Sarah’s pretty content being on her own for a change. She’s fed up with fools! With hardly any spare time for romance, she’s actually quite happy to focus on being single and caring for her family.”

Tina continues to talk about Bethany’s situation, “Every day, Sarah watches as the hospital bill increases by thousands of pounds. She realises it’s hard to even ask for help given the current cost-of-living crisis and people’s financial struggles. Sarah is also conscious of the judgement that will come with this, as people may view it as Bethany bringing it upon herself.”

Long-time fans will recall that Sarah gave birth to Bethany (played by Lucy Fallon) when she was just 13 years old, resulting in a close bond between the two, despite occasional disagreements. So how does Sarah feel about the fact that Bethany’s hospitalisation is due to cosmetic surgery?

“Sarah had no idea it was something that Bethany was considering. They’d never even discussed anything like that, and Bethany and Sarah are so close, so it was completely out of the blue. Sarah’s hurt that Bethany didn’t think to tell her and she’s confused because she just thinks, ‘Why, Bethany? ‘ She’s her daughter, and she’s absolutely perfect in every single way with the most beautiful figure,” emphasises Tina.

“It hurts Sarah that Bethany didn’t feel as if she was good enough, and if anything, Sarah feels a bit responsible. She thinks, ‘Oh my God, have I not made her feel good enough about herself?'”.

At first, Sarah pointed the finger at Bethany’s boyfriend, Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), for Bethany’s desire to alter her looks. As the initial shock of Bethany’s situation subsides, Sarah has come to realise it’s not his fault, but Tina discloses there remains some residual tension between Sarah and Bethany’s boyfriend.

“Sarah doesn’t like Bethany and Daniel together,” confesses Tina. “I think Sarah holds her tongue a lot, even from day dot, because Daniel got with Bethany around the time his partner Sinead died, and he was clearly not over her and left Bethany in a bad way. I think she’s always held her reservations about him.”

“She’s also angry with Daniel because she believes there’s potentially something going on between him and Daisy [Midgeley, played by Charlotte Jordan]. She’s overheard a few things but can’t get to the bottom of it.”

Sarah is struggling to support her daughter and find a way to pay off the debt Bethany has incurred, leading Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, to propose selling their home on Coronation Street to raise the money.

“Sarah’s carrying the burden for Bethany because she knows how devastated Bethany will feel when she finds out what people have been trying to do to look after her,” Tina shares. “Sarah feels a mix of emotions she’s gutted and guilty that it’s come to this, but she also feels relieved and understood by her family, especially Gail.”