Coronation Street Veteran Defends Co-Star Over Teenage 'Sexualisation' Claims
Helen Flanagan's on-screen aunt has publicly defended the actress, stating that Coronation Street bosses should have provided greater protection during her teenage years on the soap. This intervention follows Flanagan's recent criticism of the programme for what she describes as the 'sexualisation' of her character when she was just sixteen years old.
A Career Begun in Childhood
Helen Flanagan, now thirty-five, is best known for her portrayal of Rosie Webster on the long-running ITV drama. She first joined the cast in the year 2000 at the tender age of ten, remaining with the show until 2012, before making a brief return for a year in 2017. Her tenure included some of the soap's most intense and controversial storylines.
One particularly dramatic plot involved her character, then aged fifteen, being groomed by her teacher, John Stape, a role played by actor Graeme Hawley, who is seventeen years her senior. The storyline escalated to include kidnapping and hostage situations after their inappropriate relationship was exposed.
Speaking Out About Uncomfortable Scenes
In recent interviews, Flanagan has spoken candidly about her discomfort filming intimate scenes as a teenager. She questioned the morality of being expected to perform in a sexualised manner while still so young, specifically recalling scenes where she was required to appear in her underwear.
'Was it morally right that I was expected to parade about in my knickers like some mad nymphomaniac when I was still just a teenager?' she asked, directing her criticism towards the show's producers. She described feeling deeply uncomfortable filming 'sexualised' scenes with a significantly older male co-star.
Co-Star Support and Retrospective Understanding
Fellow Coronation Street actress Sue Devaney, who plays Rosie Webster's aunt, Debbie, has now voiced her strong support for Flanagan. Speaking at the TV Choice Awards, the fifty-eight-year-old actress stated unequivocally that no one should have to endure such discomfort and that those around the young actress failed in their duty of care.
'No one should have to go through that and feel uncomfortable. The people around her should have been protecting her,' Devaney asserted.
Flanagan has also revealed that co-star Alison King, who plays Carla Connor, advocated for her at the time, expressing disgust at the sexualisation of a young girl on set. Flanagan admits that, as a teenager, she did not fully grasp the implications but now understands the situation clearly.
'I didn’t fully comprehend what she was talking about at the time. I do now. I get it. I had to do kissing and bedroom scenes with a man a lot older than me,' she reflected, adding that she often felt awful after filming such scenes.
A Complex Relationship with the Cobbles
Despite these difficult experiences, Helen Flanagan has expressed a strong desire to return to Coronation Street. Now a mother of three, she lives near the Salford-based set and believes the job would offer convenient flexibility for co-parenting her children with ex-partner Scott Sinclair.
However, she notes that producers have not approached her with an offer. She has even pitched potential storyline ideas, envisioning Rosie's return as a single mother causing drama in the Rovers Return.
Her 2017 return to the soap was not without its challenges either. In her autobiography, she describes a changed atmosphere on set, marked by cliques and exclusionary behaviour. She recalls one unnamed co-star being particularly cold and sarcastic, making her feel isolated and uncomfortable, likening the experience to a 'real-life Mean Girls' scenario.
The ongoing discussion highlights broader questions about duty of care for young actors in high-pressure television environments and the lasting impact of early career experiences on performers.
