Coronation Street star Paul Holowaty, who played Bethany Platt’s father Neil Fearns, looks unrecognisable years after his soap exit. Bethany, now played by Lucy Fallon, has been a staple on the soap for years.
As the daughter of Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien), Bethany has been involved in a ton of big soap moments during her stint. Especially at the moment as Bethany is currently pregnant with Sarah’s ex Kit Green’s (Jacob Roberts) baby.
A Groundbreaking Birth
Back in 2000, Bethany was born into the soap world after 13-year-old Sarah found herself pregnant in a groundbreaking storyline that shocked the nation. At the time, it was one of the first times a British soap had tackled the issue of teenage pregnancy.
A pivotal moment in Coronation Street history, the storyline was created in a bid to raise awareness of the consequences and real-life struggles of early motherhood. Teenager Sarah and her mother Gail Platt (Helen Worth) discovered she was pregnant after taking her to the doctor after believing Sarah had developed an eating disorder.
The Secret and the Birth
After being told she was five months pregnant, they kept the pregnancy a secret on the cobbles. However, word got round and Sarah became the victim of hurtful remarks and swipes.
Although her parents suspected the baby’s father was someone older, it was actually a schoolmate of Sarah, Neil Fearns (Paul Holowaty) and in June 2000, Sarah gave birth to Bethany Platt. Despite the birth of his daughter Neil did not see Bethany. On her first birthday, Neil's family sent the Platts a card and cheque.
Life After Coronation Street
In 2003, Neil was involved in a car crash and died. Martin and Gail broke the news to Sarah who was shocked at Neil's death but not overly emotional.
Following his exit, actor Paul Holowaty bagged a role on Hollyoaks in 2005, playing racist bully Steven ‘Macki’ MacIntosh. He has also appeared on Casualty and in 2016, Paul went stateside for a stint on American show NCIS.
He starred in the Hollywood 2020 blockbuster Doolittle and TV movie Falling for Love and earlier this year, featured in the multi award winning feature film, NUMB. The actor looks notably different to his Corrie days too, with the former soap star now rocking facial hair. Paul has said goodbye to the school shirts and opted for more smart attire.
Reflections on the Storyline
Talking about the shock teenage pregnancy storyline, Tina previously said: “Nothing for me will probably ever beat that story, just because of the age I was, the opportunity to play out a teenage pregnancy and how much the story blew up.
“Neil Fearns was Sarah’s first sexual relationship, it happened once, she was very young and very naive. They were just so young and with not being in a relationship, Neil was never really involved. It was crazy the response to that storyline but I absolutely loved playing it.”
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
