Coronation Street star Mollie Gallagher has had some tough scenes to play out recently, being at the centre of the soap’s hate crime storyline in which her character, Nina Lucas, and boyfriend Seb Franklin were attacked by schoolboy Corey Brent and his gang, leading to Seb’s tragic death.
But the 23-year-old has singled out one particular scene as being more challenging than most — and she didn’t actually have any lines.
It was the one where Nina rejected her goth identity, believing that if it weren’t for her choice of clothes and make-up, Seb would still be alive.
Mollie tells us: “When you read a scene where you know it’s going to be really emotional, you know you need to deliver.
“But actually, the one where Nina takes her makeup off [was the toughest]. There were no words in it, but I knew how important it was and that it had to be right, so I was nervous.”
Nina and Seb were targeted back in May as they enjoyed a romantic stroll, shortly before Seb was due to attend future stepdad Kevin Webster’s stag party.
Corey and his pals were hanging out after stealing a car and, on seeing the couple, they verbally abused Nina for the way she looked.
Egged on by Corey, Kelly Neelan slapped Nina across the face, prompting a worried Nina and Seb to leave. But the gang gave chase and brutally kicked and beat the pair.
Corey initially convinced police of his innocence and pinned the blame on his friends, but Asha Alahan later found evidence on his phone that he had visited an alleyway on the night of the attack and returned two days later, and he was then charged with murder and GBH.
Nina has since been struggling with grief and, in Coronation Street episodes screened this week, she turned to drink in a bid to blot out her pain.
“Nina is strong-minded, she always knows how to deal with situations,” adds Mollie. “But suddenly, there is no path.
“Everything is mixed up and, for the first time, she really doesn’t know what to do.
“She wants to not be her, to lose who she is.”
Coronation Street continues on ITV (see our TV guide for full listings).
