Coronation Street actress Lucy Fallon has revealed her character Bethany's grooming ordeal has been so emotionally draining she has been moved to tears while filming.
Coronation Street actress Lucy Fallon has revealed her character Bethany's grooming ordeal has been so emotionally draining she has been moved to tears while filming.
Speaking to The Sun's Fabulous magazine, Lucy said: "There have been scenes where I have genuinely cried because they've been so hard to do.
"Obviously the rape scene with Neil was the hardest and the one with all of the men in the flat because imagining that actually happening to someone is just horrible."
In recent months, viewers have watched on in horror as Bethany has experienced the shocking abuse at the hands of her older boyfriend Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper).
One devastating scene alluded to the fact the schoolgirl was gang-raped by some of Nathan's pals, including a police officer.
The scenes have led to some viewers reporting the soap to Ofcom after an omnibus was shown at 8:50pm - before the 9pm watershed.
But despite the criticism the show has received, Lucy, 21, said she has also been met with a positive response.
Strangers have been reaching out to Lucy and confiding in her with their 'darkest secrets' as a source of support and thanking her for her honest portrayal of Bethany, she revealed in the Fabulous magazine interview.
Last month Lucy revealed how one fan's reaction left her in tears after a woman approached Lucy in the street and told her she had been sexually abused when she was younger.
Lucy said: "“I went to Manchester to put some flowers down at St Ann’s Square (following the Manchester Arena bombing) and a lady of about 60 came and tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘Can I just whisper something to you?'
“I thought she was just going to say that she really likes Corrie, but she said ‘I was sexually abused by my dad when I was younger’… she got really upset and said she really appreciated what I had done.
“It makes me feel really proud when people say stuff like that.”
