Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney has revealed Ken Barlow actor Bill Roache’s ‘shocked’ reaction to the pair’s new storyline on the ITV soap, as she addressed exit rumours
Ken Barlow actor William Roache was said to be “shocked” over his new Coronation Street storyline with Claire Sweeney.
Cassie Plummer actress Claire recently addressed exit rumours, as the characters’ devastating drugging storyline kicked off. Ken was poisoned in a recent episode, with Cassie crushing pills and putting them in his tea.
After he was rushed to hospital, feeling unwell and suffering a nose bleed, it came out that Ken had had the wrong dose of his medication. Cassie was initially blamed for this, as his carer, but she feigned innocence.
In a cruel twist of events Ken’s daughter Tracy Barlow got the blame, after it emerged she’d dropped his pill box and the medication had fallen out. Ken assumed Tracy had put the tablets back wrong, resulting in his wrong dose.
Cassie was off the hook, with Ken left making it up to her with a wage increase. Of course he had no idea it was really her, and she had no intention of stopping, clearly keen to keep the job and get her hands on his money – or at least enjoy the lifestyle the money funded.
We recently saw Cassie looking up pills that cause drowsiness, and in upcoming scenes she targets Ken once more. But what did actor Bill make of the shocking storyline amid fears he will be killed off?
Ken Barlow actor William Roache was said to be “shocked” over his new Coronation Street storyline with Claire Sweeney (Image: ITV)
Actress Claire confessed Bill was as shocked as she was about the storyline and Cassie’s treatment of Ken. She explained: “We were both a bit shocked and it sounds awful that I’m poisoning him, but she just wants him to need her.
“She wants to keep her job and she loves being with him. Bill is like myself, he’s very keen to play the affection between the two characters so it’s not just black and white – there is a grey area.” Claire also addressed whether the plot could lead to a sad exit for her character if she is caught out.
She said: “It does cross your mind. When I got this job, if you’d have told me that a year and a half later, I’d be here having a big storyline with Bill Roache, I’d have been so grateful for that.
“In my time in Corrie, I’ve had big scenes with Maureen Lipman, a big storyline with Bill Roache, I’ve got to snog Steve McDonald and have a cat fight with Tracy. What more could I want? So, if this does signal the end, I’d go – well hasn’t that been great, I’ve been blessed.”
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
