Coronation Street’s Maria Connor will seek help for her son Liam next week, amid his emotional bullying storyline.
Liam’s mental health has declined in recent weeks, as a result of Mason Radcliffe’s bullying. After months of torment, the teen will contemplate taking his own life in tomorrow’s (February 14) episode.
In scenes set to air in the aftermath of Liam’s admission next week, Maria stays up to watch over her son while he sleeps.
She then calls the doctor to try and get an emergency appointment. Once at the GP surgery, Liam explains to Dr Gaddas that his life had become so difficult to cope with that he just wanted to end it.
Dr Gaddas informs Maria that she’s going to refer Liam to a mental health unit to get treatment, but the waiting list is so long that they’ll have to wait for a place. In the meantime, Maria must watch Liam closely.
Speaking recently to Digital Spy and other media, Maria actress Samia Longchambon explained how difficult it has been to bring the emotional storyline to the screen.
“Having to act it and go through it, your body doesn’t know, when we’re making ourselves cry, and going through that, it is exhausting,” she said. “Because your body doesn’t know that it’s not real, what you’re crying about. So me and Charlie [Wrenshall, who plays Liam] have had days where we’ve just been crying all day to each other. We’re exhausted at the end of the day.
“But you know, it’s good to think that hopefully, this storyline might help other kids who are going through it — and even the bullies to a certain extent, I hope that it might make them think twice about what they’re doing to other kids, and how it might affect them in ways they don’t realise.”