Coronation Street has confirmed the fate of Gary Windass (Mikey North), just one day after Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) was set free. Dramatic scenes unfolded on the cobbles tonight as Gary was sentenced to eight months in prison for perverting the course of justice in connection with the murder of Theo Silverton (James Cartwright).
As Sarah enjoyed her taste of freedom after being acquitted on the grounds of self-defence, Gary was taken to his cell at Highfield Prison, where he was immediately forced to confront a tense new reality behind bars. Meanwhile, a furious Maria (Samia Longchambon) took matters into her own hands in a dramatic Bistro showdown, shoving a Manchester tart into Sarah's face. When Bethany (Lucy Fallon) and Todd (Gareth Pierce) intervened, Maria pushed them aside, knocking Bethany to the floor and injuring her wrist.
Emotional Phone Call and Maria's Vow
Later, an emotional phone call saw Gary urge Maria to stay strong for their family, leaving Maria vowing to stand by her husband. But with Gary back behind bars, the question remains: can he quietly serve his eight months, or is his dark past about to resurface?
Is Gary Leaving Coronation Street?
Gary is not leaving Coronation Street, but actor Mikey North could be taking a short break as his character is jailed. Gary first appeared in Weatherfield back in 2008 and has been a fan-favourite character for the last 18 years. Mikey shows no signs of slowing down, as he teased there is "lots coming up" on the soap. Speaking about his character, he said: "The great thing about Gary is that he'll always do what he thinks is right without necessarily thinking about the consequences first, which is exactly why he's in this situation. So maybe he needs to start thinking six months ahead before jumping in."
Mikey North: 'There's Going to Be Lots Coming Up'
Teasing what's next on the soap, Mikey told ITV: "There's going to be lots coming up with Gary having to protect himself inside, so there's so much going on there." Asked how Gary feels about going to prison while Sarah walks free, the actor said: "It's a tricky one. Obviously he thinks that she didn't deserve to go down so he's probably quite relieved on that front, but he's having to foot the blame for it. But I guess in the grand scheme of things, eight months, it could have been a lot worse! And she hasn't chucked him under the bus, so he has to be a little bit grateful for that."
He believes Gary and Maria are "stronger than ever" as he said: "It's obviously not Gary's first rodeo in prison - he's a seasoned professional at this rate! I think it's probably a lot harder for them on the outside than it is for Gary on the inside at times. I've really enjoyed trying to get them to reconcile. They've been through an awful lot, and how they survive, I'll never know, but it makes it fun and interesting."
Soap fans have plenty to look forward to as Mikey said: "Without wanting to give too much away, the amount of hours I've spent in makeup getting injuries put on for the two months that the viewers haven't seen would probably suggest not. Gary's surely done the most fight scenes in the history of Coronation Street and he's probably about to add to it in some serious numbers…"
Coronation Street airs weekdays at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
