Coronation Street actor Liam McCheyne has revealed he is trying to "stay off social media" as his controversial storyline unfolds. The 19-year-old, who plays Dylan Wilson in the ITV soap, is at the centre of a plot where his girlfriend Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) suffers a stroke after he choked her during consensual sex.
Under UK law, non-fatal strangulation can be treated as a criminal offence if it results in injury. Betsy's mother, DS Lisa Swain, is determined to see Dylan face charges, despite the act being consensual.
Avoiding the reaction
McCheyne admitted he is aware the storyline has sparked conversation but prefers not to engage online. Asked about the reaction, he said: "To be honest, I try to stay off social media and I get a bit scared watching my own work back! But I know the amount of conversation this has started is a massive wake-up call. It's got people talking."
He noted the "generational difference" in responses has been fascinating, adding: "I didn't realise how widespread this issue was among young people. Our research with IFAS showed that there's statistics showing how huge this trend is within the 16-24 age group. Dylan and Betsy are right in the middle of that demographic, which made them the right characters to deliver this message."
Dylan's dark turn
Dylan, the son of Sean Tully (Antony Cotton), is set to take a dark turn as pressure mounts and Weatherfield residents make him the topic of conversation. McCheyne stressed the importance of not changing Dylan's core character: "Because there was such an innocence to Dylan in this scenario, we didn't want to change who he is at his core. There was absolutely no malice or intent to hurt Betsy - in fact, hurting her is his absolute biggest fear."
He explained they went "script-to-script" to see how it would naturally unfold, rather than altering the character. "The heartbreak is that Dylan even visits Betsy in the hospital at first without realising that he was the one who caused her stroke. When his world finally comes crumbling down and he realises what happened, he doesn't want to accept it."
Hope for Betsy and Dylan
McCheyne is hopeful the couple can survive the ordeal. He said: "I would really like to think [they stay together]. Watching two young people face something this catastrophic, go through the wobbles and hopefully come out on the other side together would be really powerful. As an actor, portraying that level of struggle and finding a way back around is incredibly rewarding."
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
