Coronation Street actress Cherylee Houston has opened up about the abuse she receives over her disability, revealing that she is accused of making it up and harassed about benefits on a daily basis.
Daily abuse and trolling
Houston, who plays Izzy Armstrong in the ITV soap, appeared on Good Morning Britain this week to discuss the online abuse faced by singer Ariana Grande. When asked about her own experiences, she said that when her wheelchair hasn't been visible on TV, she has been bullied and accused of faking her condition.
She explained: 'Myself and my friend were wheeling down the street and a man was shouting out about how much benefits we got. It happens a lot, all of the time.'
Lack of representation
Houston, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder, said the abuse stems from a lack of understanding and representation. She said: 'I think some of it is about our representation and understanding of wheelchair users and the same with neurodiversity. There's so much lack of understanding, but because we're not on screen, our stories aren't told, our news isn't told, I think that's a big change.'
MBE and advocacy
In 2022, Houston was awarded an MBE for services to disabled people and drama. She has previously spoken about the importance of disabled role models on screen, saying: 'If you think when you were growing up who your role models were, who influences you, if you as a disabled child don't have that, how do you know what you can do?'
In 2021, she was part of a Coronation Street storyline highlighting the difficulties disabled people faced during the pandemic, including working remotely and shielding.
