ITV Coronation Street star fears fan backlash as she spikes Ken Barlow in dark plot
Coronation Street's Claire Sweeney has opened up about her character Cassie Plumber's dark storyline, which sees her poison Ken Barlow in upcoming scenes
Coronation Street fans were left reeling as Cassie Plumber (played by Claire Sweeney) was spotted slipping crushed tablets into the tea of Weatherfield legend Ken Barlow (Bill Roache).
The plot thickens in Wednesday’s episode (November 20) when Ken is suddenly rushed to hospital. Will Cassie’s sinister actions be exposed and what could possibly motivate her to drug the man she’s supposed to be caring for?
Claire Sweeney, who portrays Cassie, has spoken out about her character’s shocking actions and her concerns over potential backlash from viewers for attempting to poison a “national treasure”.
Reflecting on her initial reaction to the storyline, the TV star confessed: “I was shocked, it’s Ken Barlow, he’s a national treasure. I’m going to be Public Enemy No 1! I think viewers are going to hate her.”
“The funny thing is that they’ve just started to like her they were finally warming to her and then this happens. In my head, playing her, I’m trying to find saving graces, but I don’t know if there will be any.”, reports Lancs Live.
“I’m a Corrie fan and I’d be fuming watching this. Already in the summer when I went on holiday to Majorca all the old dears were saying to me: ‘You leave Ken alone’, ‘Don’t you be upsetting Ken now.’ And that was before I’d done anything! “.
Claire, who burst onto the Street as Evelyn Plummer’s (Maureen Lipman) prodigal daughter and mum to Tyronne Dobbs (Alan Halsall), has confessed that her gripping plot lines have made her ponder if shes nearing the end of her Corrie chapter.
Pondering her potential exit, she mused: “It does cross your mind. When I got this job, if you’d have told me that a year and a half later, I’d be here having a big storyline with Bill Roache, I’d have been so grateful for that.”
Reflecting on her time on the cobbles, she gushed: “In my time in Corrie, I’ve had big scenes with Maureen Lipman, a big storyline with Bill Roache, I’ve got to snog Steve McDonald [Simon Gregson] and have a cat fight with Tracy [Kate Ford] What more could I want? So, if this does signal the end, I’d go well hasn’t that been great, I’ve been blessed.”