Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh has described her nerves as she filmed some of her most dramatic scenes to date – a car chase which will leave one person dead and two fighting for their lives.
In episodes to be aired from October 8, Michelle Connor, played by Marsh, and her sons Ryan (Ryan Prescott) and Ali (James Burrows) will be forced to flee the cobbles as drug dealer Ronan (Alan McKenna) seeks revenge for their part in his son Cormac’s drugs overdose death.
But drug dealer Ronan is on their tail as they head away from Weatherfield and they become embroiled in the car chase.
Marsh said she did much of the driving for the dramatic scenes herself, with a stunt team who had previously worked on Marvel films and the Fast and the Furious used for external shots of the cars.
She said: “I’m surprised anyone let me behind the wheel of that car! It was great fun. I didn’t realise how much of the driving I was going to be able to do.
“I was a little bit nervous but, you know, I was supposed to be anyway so it helped… The fact it was nerve wracking actually added to the scene!”
The actress, 42, said the scenes were among the most dramatic she had filmed for the soap.
She said: “It was a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time, because I was trying to do all the things they’d told me to do stuntwise and remember my lines.”
She added: “My dad always says I’m a very good driver and my dad was a long distance lorry driver for years. But I don’t speed like that!”
The culmination of the chase sees Michelle fear for Ryan’s life as Ronan drives directly at him.
“She’s terrified. She thinks he’s going to die and she wants Ali to save him,” Marsh said.
In the run up to the family’s decision to leave, Michelle confronts Ronan at his son’s wake in an effort to protect Ryan.
She said: “As soon as the boys are being threatened she is in protect mode straight away.
“I get it, I totally get it, I think I’d be prepared to do anything for my kids too… including going to drug dealers’ funerals!”
The scenes also see Michelle recall her son Ruiari’s death in an effort to empathise with Ronan.
Oh my god!!!! What a performance from my boys tonight!!! Ryan and Ali!!! What a pairing!! I am so proud to be their on screen mama xxx
— Kym Marsh (@msm4rsh) September 28, 2018
Marsh went through a similar situation to her character when she lost son Archie prematurely in 2009.
She said: “I think when you lose a child, as soon as somebody mentions losing a child you automatically think back to it because you can’t forget it.
“When you read lines about losing a child obviously you go ‘oh, that happened to me’ and you can’t help but remember it, but it’s just one of those things.
“Anything that I do now with regard to mentioning Ruari is never going to be as emotionally draining as it was when I did the actual storyline itself.”