Coronation Street star Sally Carman-Duttine has opened up about the 'difficult' part of her co-star Sue Devaney's upcoming exit, saying the actress will leave 'big shoes to fill' when she bows out of the ITV soap.
Carman-Duttine, who plays Abi Webster and joined the show in 2017, previously admitted she was 'absolutely heartbroken' by the news that Devaney would eventually leave the cobbles as Debbie Webster.
Debbie Webster's long history on the cobbles
Debbie first arrived on Coronation Street as a 15-year-old in 1984, with Devaney, who was 16 at the time of her debut, the only actress to have ever portrayed the character, originally from 1984 to 1985.
She returned to the cobbles in 2019 before making a full-time comeback in 2020. However, it was confirmed last year that Devaney's time on the show would eventually come to an end.
In scenes aired last year, Debbie grew concerned about memory loss and booked an appointment at a private clinic, believing her symptoms might be related to the menopause. After discussing a series of incidents shown in flashback scenes, including a blackout and fall, the doctor advised further tests because he was concerned she was showing symptoms of early-onset vascular dementia.
Dementia storyline and recent developments
Coronation Street has since documented the progress of Debbie's diagnosis, including the impact of being wrongly imprisoned for the death of Weatherfield vicar Billy Mayhew in a multi-vehicle crash involving guests from her and Ronnie Bailey's wedding earlier this year.
Recently, Debbie's family have grown increasingly concerned as her memory deteriorates, leading her to sign over her beloved hotel to Ronnie, with strict instructions to keep Ryan Connor on as the hotel's manager.
The decision followed a special episode of Corrie on Monday (November 9), centred on 'Debbie's Angels', as Debbie arranged a get-together with Abi, Bernie Winter-Alahan, Christina Boyd, Sally Metcalfe and Glenda Shuttleworth to help her with a surprise for her son Carl's 40th birthday.
Co-star's tribute to 'Sunshine Sue'
Speaking exclusively to the Manchester Evening News at a special screening of the episode, Carman-Duttine said of Devaney's exit: "Well, it's a bittersweet thing, because I know that Sue, after she finishes this job, is gonna fly. I know it, I have no doubt. So she's going to be fine. Yeah, she's going to miss everyone, but we'll all see her anyway, 'cause we're friends. She's going nowhere. I'll track her down!"
She added: "But she's going to fly. What is difficult is... that she's not gonna be here anymore. And she's gonna be, not just by me. I'm gonna miss her terribly, but everyone's gonna miss her, because she's 'Sunshine Sue'. That's who she is. There's big shoes to fill, and I'm not sure who's gonna do that? I don't think anyone will do that. I think we'll just carry on."
On what lies ahead, Carman-Duttine shared: "It's gonna be brilliant because we're gonna see some phenomenal television performances, but it's gonna be sad, because I'm gonna miss my friend."
Off-screen, the Webster clan are often seen together away from the Weatherfield drama. "We are like a family," she said. "It's just lovely. We just get to hang out and just chill! We're not cold on set... It's just an extended day at work, really, without lines, which is great, because we're not worrying about dropping any."
