Coronation Street star Julia Goulding has spoken about her return to the ITV soap as Shona Platt, after taking maternity leave, and revealed why it’s so good to be back.
Though the 37-year-old is delighted to be reunited with her Coronation Street co-stars for more dramatic plots, much of her excitement is down to the humble British cuppa.
Julia, who gave birth to her second child last November — a baby girl whom she and her teacher husband Ben Silver named Emmeline Beanie — says that being back at Coronation Street means she can finally have a proper brew.
“It’s wonderful,” says Julia, who has also a three-year-old son, Franklin. “My husband is on paternity leave as we’re doing shared parental leave, so I get to come to work and have an actual hot cup of tea without having a child hanging off me.
“‘It’s really nice to be able to sit in the green room and have a brew and a conversation. Not that I don’t absolutely love being at home, because I do… But it’s nice to have that brew!”
Shona temporarily departed the cobbles in January, when she accompanied stepdaughter Lily to London for a football training camp.
She returned to Weatherfield last week to support struggling David in the wake of Max’s incarceration, but it looked like she would be leaving once again after learning that her drunken husband had made a pass at hairdresser Maria Connor.
Shona, however, ultimately forgave David, and Julia says the coming months will see a more united Platt family after a difficult few months in which Max was caught up in Griff Reynolds’ sinister far-right gang.
“It’s definitely a journey about parenthood, and how David and Shona deal with it, and all the trials and tribulations,” says Julia.
“They’ve got Lily as well, and it’s about making her still feel important and part of the family, because a lot of the focus is on Max.”
She adds, “Shona is developing into a very complex but really grounded person, which I really love. She has got certain sides to her because of her brain injury, but we are seeing more stability within her as a character.
“It means you’ve got the drama, but still the quirks and the comedy stuff as well.”
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITVX.
