Coronation Street star Sue Devaney has revealed that her character Debbie Webster will enjoy a "beautiful" Christmas before her health takes a turn for the worse in early 2027.
Debbie, who runs the Chariot Square hotel, was diagnosed with early-onset vascular dementia in April 2025 after she became concerned about her memory loss. She booked an appointment at a private clinic believing her symptoms might be related to the menopause.
Following a series of flashback incidents, including a blackout and a fall, the doctor advised further tests as he was concerned she was showing symptoms of early-onset vascular dementia.
Deterioration and prison stint
Since then, the ITV soap has charted the progression of Debbie's condition, which was severely impacted during her prison stint earlier this year. She was jailed after her wedding to Ronnie Bailey for causing the death of vicar Billy Mayhew, though it was her son, Carl Webster, who was at the wheel at the time of the crash.
Vinta Morgan, who plays Ronnie, recently teased what fans can expect this Christmas and into 2027. "Christmas has got some beautiful scenes!" he said. "What the audience can get more of is that there's going to be some downs, but there's going to be some ups."
'A turn for the worse' after Christmas
He added: "There are going to be some moments where the audience will go, 'Oh, if they could just be trapped in that moment!' We'll let them stay in that moment for a bit, and then he's going to go on a roller-coaster ride where we're going to go down into the depths of some really dark stuff. Which is still going to have some light and love in it, of course, that's the whole thing that makes it excruciating."
"But it's really going to go into the realms of what the reality is like, really. We're not going to sugarcoat it; we're going to show it for what it is. Hopefully, it will develop conversations and help raise awareness."
Now Sue has shared that while her character will have a joyous festive period this year, there are heartbreaking times ahead. "I think Debbie takes a turn for the worse after Christmas," she told Inside Soap. "She has the most beautiful Christmas, and then from the New Year she goes downhill. I keep asking our producer Kate Brooks, 'Is that is now? Is this where Debbie goes?' But she says no, we're still seeing Debbie as she is."
"Even with the people that I know with dementia, they might not remember things, but their personality is still there. I do wonder if Debbie will lose her personality completely, but I don't know."
