Coronation Street star Jonathan Howard has shared his love for his co-star in an emotional message ahead of her exit from the show. The soap star, who was born in Southport, burst onto the cobbles last year as bad boy Carl Webster. His character was later revealed to be the secret son of Debbie Webster, played by Sue Devaney.
He has been swept up in several major storylines over the past 18 months including the moment Carl learned the identity of his biological mum, a drama-filled affair with his brother's wife Abi Webster (Sally Carman) and of course the iconic Corriedale crossover episode.
Inside Soap Awards win
Jonathan was in attendance at the Inside Soap Awards on Monday evening, where Coronation Street took home the prize for Best Soap. It was a star-studded celebration and several awards were up for grabs including Best Actor, Best Soap, Best Newcomer and Best Storyline.
Coronation Street dominated the awards, with Vicky Myers (Lisa Swain) and Gareth Pierce (Todd Grimshaw) taking home the Best Actor awards.
Reflecting on his time on the cobbles
Jonathan spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview on the red carpet. He reflected on his time so far on the cobbles and the bond he has built with his co-stars.
The actor told the ECHO: "It was really fun the first 12 months, but Tyrone dropped a car on his head and he’s been in hospital, he’s kinda questioning his life decisions."
Speaking about Corrie taking home the award for Best Soap, he said: "It’s a real credit to Kate Brooks, our producer. Since she has been here she’s brought in wonderful characters like Carl Webster and Theo and Jodie. We’ve had amazing episodes like Corriedale and murder week and she’s spicing it up."
Bond with the Webster family
The 41-year-old has worked with some huge names on the soap including Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster), who Jonathan said took a while to warm to the soap newcomer.
The Carl Webster star told the ECHO: "I love my Webster family. I’m really proud, Sue [Devaney] Mike [Le Vell] and Sally [Carman] all love each other."
"Sue and Sally, they welcomed me with open arms straight away, but Mike Le Vell was a bit unsure. He’s obviously been on it for a long time.
"I think the reward for me was being invited to his wedding and now we have pub lunches together. I’ve been here 18 months, I moved back from America to do this job and I feel like I’ve got a little family and it’ll be really sad when Sue leaves."
Heartbreaking storyline ahead
Sue Devaney, who plays his on-screen mum, is set to depart the cobbles as part of a heartbreaking dementia storyline. The upsetting scenes are currently playing out and Sue will depart her role in 2027. Fans have fallen in love with the loveable Debbie Webster and will be sad to say goodbye.
Jonathan took the opportunity to share how lucky he feels to be able to share the screen with Sue as part of such a powerful story. He told the Liverpool ECHO: "Sue is my number one and I love her to pieces. I’m very, very grateful that I get to play her son."
Speaking about what is coming up next for his character, he said: "Carl is turning 40 and I imagine he’s going to be questioning himself and what he is achieving in his life. I think he’s realising this could potentially be the last Christmas with his mum."
"We don’t know how long Debbie will be around because of her dementia but she is showing signs of decline and I think it dawns on him he’s not going to have all the time in the world with his mum."
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
