Coronation Street Claire Sweeney's huge fear over outrageous Ken Barlow twist

Claire Sweeney is 1 of the astir fashionable actresses successful soap. She’s agelong had a estimation for being down-to-earth, instantly likeable and the benignant of celeb who’ll happily halt for a representation with fans.

But acknowledgment to her latest Coronation Street storyline, she’s present bracing herself for a full batch of hate. And she reckons adjacent her boyfriend, retired boxer Ricky Hatton, won’t beryllium capable to halt the onslaught.

For her character, carer Cassie Plummer, is astir to go 1 of the astir despised soap names successful Britain aft viewers saw her poisoning existent Cobbles icon Ken Barlow successful the closing seconds of Monday night's episode.

Ken, played by the legendary Bill Roache, ends up being rushed to infirmary after Cassie laces his beverage with a adjacent fatal premix of painkillers and humor thinners - and the enigma down his brushwood with decease is acceptable to beryllium 1 of the biggest storylines from present into adjacent year.

Claire, 53, is preparing to look the afloat fury of viewers, but admits she was outraged herself erstwhile bosses archetypal fto gaffe astir her gruesome plot.

“Oh my God, I was shocked!,” she laughs. “I was talking to the shaper and it was casually mentioned to maine and past the speech carried on. I went: ‘What? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I’m poisoning a nationalist treasure; did I perceive that right?’ I could hardly judge it!”

Claire adds: “It’s Ken Barlow! I’m going to beryllium Public Enemy No 1! Even my fellow can’t support maine connected this one! Viewers are going to hatred her. The comic happening is that they’ve conscionable started to similar her – they were yet warming to her – and past this happens.

“In my head, playing her, I’m trying to find redeeming graces, but I don’t cognize if determination volition beryllium any. I’m a Corrie instrumentality and I’d beryllium fuming watching this!”

Actor Bill Roache, 92, has played Ken Barlow for 64 years and is the lone remaining formed subordinate from the show’s precise archetypal episode. Former Brookside prima Claire loves moving with him, calling it an “absolute dream” - but she besides knows firsthand conscionable however loyal and passionate his fanbase tin be.

“Already successful the summertime erstwhile I went connected vacation to Majorca, each the aged dears were saying to me: ‘You permission Ken alone,’ ‘Don’t you beryllium upsetting Ken now.’ And that was earlier I’d done anything!,” she laughs.

Claire joined the show past twelvemonth arsenic rough-and-ready Cassie, the long mislaid girl of Evelyn Plummer (Maureen Lipman) and the parent of Tyrone Dobbs (I'm a Celeb's Alan Halsall). A erstwhile cause addict, with greasy hairsbreadth and achromatic rings nether her eyes, it’s astir apt the slightest glamorous relation the histrion has ever taken on.

Indeed, she often looks truthful bad, she’s adjacent banned her boyfriend, Ricky, 46, who she met connected past year’s Dancing On Ice, from tuning in. “He doesn’t watch, I won’t fto him!” she laughs. “Especially erstwhile I was looking truly really rough. I get embarrassed, truthful I won’t fto him!”

Claire confesses she “doesn’t similar watching” herself either. Yet performing is successful her blood. The Liverpool-born histrion landed her archetypal singing gig astatine 14, joined the fashionable Liverpool soap Brookside arsenic Lindsey Corkhill astatine 20 and has worked regularly ever since, topping the measure successful the West End and appearing successful a big of TV shows, including 2 years arsenic a panellist connected Loose Women and besides arsenic the big of 60-Minute Makeover.

In caller years she has chiefly toured successful theatre, juggling beingness connected the roadworthy with her relation arsenic a azygous mum to lad Jaxon, present 10. The Coronation Street relation she admits came astatine a clip erstwhile she thought her TV enactment could beryllium over.

“Maybe 2 years agone I thought I’d had the champion days of my career,” she says frankly. “My cause utilized to accidental to me: ‘your crook volition travel again,’ but erstwhile you’ve been treading h2o for truthful galore years you ne'er spot it.

“I was plodding on doing bully enactment successful theatre, schlepping astir the country, surviving successful dressing rooms and being distant from Jaxon for agelong periods. Then Corrie happened and Dancing connected Ice happened and abruptly I’m successful a antithetic place.

“When Corrie offered maine the role, I conscionable felt truthful grateful and thrilled astatine 51 years of property to person this opportunity. It’s an institution. People sometimes accidental that arsenic an histrion you conflict arsenic you get older, whereas I consciousness this is astir apt the champion happening I’ve ever done.”

The different large alteration successful Claire’s beingness is her narration with erstwhile world champion combatant Ricky Hatton, having been azygous for respective years. “It happens erstwhile you slightest expect it,” she reflects.

The 2 fell for each different erstwhile they appeared arsenic contestants connected Dancing connected Ice earlier this year. So, what did Claire instrumentality distant from the TV ice-skating contest?

“A fellow and a sore bum!” she laughs. “I did deliberation I’d get a skater’s bum and I’d suffer loads of weight. That didn’t happen, but I loved the full experience. Ricky and I went retired with his skating spouse and 1 of the skaters precocious and I’ve been talking to Sam Aston [Corrie’s Chesney Brown] who is doing it this year; I consciousness precise invested successful the show.

“I’m looking guardant to going to skate connected each the Christmas crystal rinks too. I haven’t skated since the amusement truthful I don’t cognize however bully I’ll be, but I’ll beryllium amended than Ricky!”

The mates person enjoyed holidays together and precocious attended the Football for Change gala wherever Claire looked stunning successful a plunging metallic decorator dress. “I emotion getting glammed up,” she smiles. “I’ve ever been beauteous glam – I instrumentality pridefulness successful my quality and I similar being dressed up.”

Claire stays successful Liverpool erstwhile she’s filming astatine Coronation Street, but lives successful London with lad Jaxon. She says: “When I’m successful Manchester I get a spot much of a societal life, past erstwhile I’m successful London, it’s the schoolhouse tally and I’m rather blessed to enactment successful with Jaxon. I similar to marque it truly peculiar erstwhile we’re together.”

Jaxon regularly helps Claire practise her lines, but adjacent helium is struggling to support his mum’s latest storyline. “He’s horrified,” Claire laughs. “He says: ‘Mummy, you’re not going to wounded this man, are you?’ I explained that she likes him truly and helium said: ‘But Mummy, I’ve conscionable work the script.’ In the extremity I said: ‘Oh Jaxon, conscionable bash the lines, don’t interest astir it, it’s lone pretend!’”

Viewers person seen a gentler broadside to Cassie precocious aft Ken hired her arsenic his carer pursuing a nasty autumn successful the summer. The duo unexpectedly deed it disconnected and person go bully friends, but returning from a vacation together, Ken tells Cassie that he’s been looking astatine his finances and is going to person to fto her go. It’s past that a fuming Cassie laces his beverage with painkillers.

“She doesn’t privation to wounded him – she conscionable wants him to request her,” Claire explains. “She adores Ken. So, erstwhile helium says helium can’t spend to support her connected she’s devastated – where’s she going to go?, what’s she going to do? Who is she going to beryllium with? There’s anger, wounded and a feeling of abandonment.

“It’s not adjacent needfully money-orientated. She likes the beingness she’s got looking aft him. There’s an constituent of Munchausen’s to it.”

When Ken suffers a nosebleed and is rushed to hospital, his girl Tracy and son-in-law Steve blasted Cassie for mixing up his tablets, but erstwhile Toyah Battersby intervenes and says the drugs overdose mightiness not person been Cassie’s fault, Ken insists she returns to enactment and offers her a raise.

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Cassie can’t judge her luck, but her wicked games are not over. Claire says: “She Googles ‘drugs that marque you drowsy’ and comes crossed antihistamines. She’s realised the consequences of the painkillers and the humor thinners, truthful she switches to antihistamines, due to the fact that they’re not arsenic harmful. She doesn’t privation to wounded him. It’s conscionable to support him a small spot dopey, truthful helium needs her.

“She’s [been] introduced into this caller beingness with him and she volition spell to immoderate lengths to support it going.”

All we tin accidental is....It’s fortunate for Ricky, she’s not a method actor.