Returning star was very scared to make her big Coronation Street comeback after decades

Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) has a court appearance in upcoming Coronation Street episodes for possessing a knife. He’s given a community service order and promises Sean (Antony Cotton) he’ll try to get his life back on track from now on. But there’s a shock in store when they get back home – Dylan’s mum, Violet Wilson (Jenny Platt), is waiting for him. And she’s not happy.

We last saw Violet briefly in 2011, but the last time she was a full-time Weatherfield resident was 2008. She left for London to start a new life with young baby Dylan – whose father is Sean – and her partner Jamie Baldwin (Rupert Hill).

Actress Jenny Platt told us that it made sense for Violet to come back to Weatherfield after discovering that her son has been involved in some horrific bullying.

‘I guess there’s always been that possibility as long as Dylan’s been hanging around the Street that she might come back, but I think because of everything that’s been going on with Dylan, it’s more and more seemed a bit strange that Violet isn’t kind of involved with this. I think his mum would always have to come and have something to say about everything that’s been going on,’ she explained.

Although she’s been very busy over the years, including a recent part in Waterloo Road and a lot of theatre work, Jenny admitted it was daunting coming back to Corrie after being away for so long.

‘Do you know what, I was really, really scared,’ she revealed.

’It was such a massive part of my life and one that I absolutely adored, I genuinely loved every minute of being there. You know when you’ve got that slight concern, it’s a bit like going back to an ex, you kind of go, “Is it going to be the same, is it going to be different?” but it was absolutely brilliant and everything I hoped for because there are still so many of the same people.

‘It’s just like putting on a comfy old pair of shoes, you kind of go, “Yes, I get to wear this character again and I get to see these people and be in this place.” Even though it’s a different building, it’s still got the exact same kind of family vibe that it always had.’

Someone that has changed a lot over the years is Liam McCheyne. When Violet and Dylan left Weatherfield Dylan was still a baby, but now of course he’s an adult.

‘It’s weird because in my head it doesn’t seem that long since I left Coronation Street and then I look at Liam and go, “Oh, it’s that long since I left Coronation Street, okay.”’ Jenny laughed.

Almost like a proud mum, Jenny is full of praise for her screen son. ‘He’s just the most delightful boy, he’s absolutely lovely,’ she enthused.

‘In the best of ways, he made me feel so old, like he was treating me with such respect – ‘Shall I make you a cup of tea? Can I show you around?’ Always making sure that he was helping me find my way to set, because obviously it’s all different than when I was there 15 years ago in a different building. He’s so lovely and brilliant, a really good actor, I really loved working with him and he’s just on it, he knows what he’s doing with that character, he’s great.’

Another change since Jenny was a regular on the Street is the rise of social media, and Jenny told us it’s something she’s wary of.

‘I’ve been quite careful not to look too deeply into it because I think you’ve got to be careful, always, to make sure you don’t look too far and too deeply, because I think in either direction it could be dangerous,’ she reflected.

‘You don’t want to start getting ideas above your station and going “Oh, everyone loves me” or you don’t want to look too deeply and find out, “Oh no, lots of people don’t love me.”’

Despite this Jenny has had an overwhelmingly positive reception to the announcement that she would be returning, and it’s something she found surprising.

‘It has been lovely, I seem to have had lots of exciting messages about “We’re really looking forward to seeing you back” and people obviously remember the character fondly, which is lovely,’ she told us.

’It is a different world, entirely, than when I left. It was on the cusp – it was just a bit of Facebook and stuff when I left, and because I’m a bit older, I haven’t kind of really got that involved with other social media, so it’s been a bit of a surprise.

‘I was like “Oh, I’ve got all these new followers, this is interesting.” But it’s been lovely, and people have been, as far as I’ve seen, been really nice and seem to be very excited to see what’s happening with the storyline.’