Coronation Street star Mikey North has spoken out about Gary Windass' upcoming prison stint, which was confirmed this week, teasing what fans can expect from the long-running ITV soap.
Dramatic scenes unfolded in the soap, filmed in Salford, on Tuesday night (October 20) as Gary was sentenced to eight months in prison for perverting the course of justice in connection with the murder of Theo Silverton. The news came as Sarah Platt enjoyed her freedom after being acquitted of the abusive builder's murder on grounds of self-defence, with her case having gone to trial after she admitted to killing Theo, who was abusing her best friend, his husband Todd Grimshaw.
Gary's Reaction to Prison
Gary was taken to his cell at Highfield Prison, where he was immediately forced to confront a tense new reality behind bars. Speaking about Gary's predicament, Mikey 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."
Maria's Fury and Family Vows
While Gary went to prison, viewers saw a furious Maria taking matters into her own hands in a dramatic Bistro showdown, shoving a Manchester tart into Sarah's face. When Bethany and Todd intervened, Maria pushed them aside, knocking Bethany, who is pregnant, to the floor and injuring her wrist.
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, can he quietly serve his eight months, or is his dark past about to resurface?
As Maria blames Sarah, Mikey, who has been in Corrie since 2008, doesn't think Gary quite feels the same way. "I think it's very difficult for Gary to have any resentment towards Sarah, given everything they've gone through," he admitted. "They've been through an awful lot together, and she's probably covered up things for him in the past. So I think it's very difficult for him to feel any animosity towards her, as much as he might have to show it for Maria's sake."
New Cellmate Jonesy
When Gary enters prison, he gets landed with Jonesy as a cellmate. "It's prison, so it's never going to be an easy ride… " Mikey teased. "Jonesy is a great character, and Carl Rice plays him brilliantly. There's going to be lots coming up with Gary having to protect himself inside, so there's so much going on there. Jonesy is definitely another little Corrie villain who's popped up."
And it doesn't sound like it's going to be peaceful for Gary inside as when asked if viewers will see a more mature Gary wanting to do his time peacefully, or if the 'hard man' will come out, Mikey admitted: "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."
He added: "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…"
