Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) has had a hell of a few weeks in Coronation Street.
After taking a job overseas, Bethany decided to have liposuction surgery out there. Unaware of what was going on, Daniel (Rob Mallard) was horrified when he received a phone call that confirmed Bethany had contracted sepsis as a result of the surgery.
While in the hospital, Daniel and Sarah (Tina O’Brien) learnt that because of issues with Bethany’s medical insurance, they would have to raise a substantial amount of cash to pay her fees.
The bills were fortunately paid by Gail (Helen Worth), who took out a bridging loan so she could sell her house.
Despite being in the comfort of her home, Bethany is far from okay. Because of the surgery and sepsis, she is now getting used to life with a stoma bag.
In upcoming episodes, Daniel tells a nurse at Bethany’s appointment that she barely leaves the flat.
In the week, aware that she’s hiding herself away, Bethany decides to put on a brave face and agrees to go to the pub with Daniel for Paul’s (Peter Ash) space launch. Sadly though, Bethany later discovers her stoma bag leaking.
Completely mortified, Bethany rushes out.
Discussing this new storyline and the long road ahead for her character, star Lucy Fallon said: ‘The next couple of months are definitely going to be really challenging for Bethany. I think her biggest struggle will be coming to terms with the fact that this is something she’s done to herself.
‘Hopefully in time, which I know she will, she’ll start to accept what’s happened and realise that having a stoma hasn’t actually affected her life as much as she probably thought it would, but I do think it will take a couple of setbacks and bumps in the road to eventually get there.’
Giovanni Cinque, Marketing & Campaigns Manager at Colostomy UK, said: “We’re really excited that one of the UK’s most loved TV shows is going to feature a major character living with a stoma.
‘Even though public awareness has grown considerably over the last few years thanks to a number of celebrities revealing they have had surgery, the challenges that the 200,000 plus people living with a stoma in the UK face are less known, which means that we as a society and as individuals are not as aware as we should be of the choices that we can make to positively improve their quality of life.
‘We really hope that Bethany’s journey will go a long way in helping to educate the audience, and thus help to create a more Stoma Aware UK. It’s also been a pleasure for us to work with the behind-the-scenes teams at Coronation Street on this story’.
