Inside Soap UK 1 - 2017

Prepare yourself for heartbreaking scenes in this week’s Coronation Street, as Michelle and Steve’s baby son is born prematurely and is too young to survive. The scenes will be especially poignant with the knowledge that Kym Marsh, who plays Michelle, suffered the same tragedy in real life with her beloved son, Archie. It takes real bravery to agree to go through something so traumatic for a second time – and although this time was for the camera, we can barely imagine how Kym must have felt filming the agonising scenes. Over the page, the actress tells us why she made the choice to go ahead with this challenging storyline. Elsewhere this week, there’s a tangled web being weaved in Emmerdale as residents try and outsmart each other in the run-up…

Steve and Michelle are devastated this week, after she suffers a late miscarriage and loses the couple’s baby. Coronation Street bosses have been planning the story since last year, working closely with stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands. Meanwhile, actress Kym Marsh, who plays Michelle, has taken the brave decision to portray her alter ego’s story just a few years after she lost her son, Archie, at a similar stage of pregnancy. “I thought long and hard before agreeing to take on the challenge of this storyline,” she explains. “It is a cause very close to my heart, having lost my beautiful Archie at 21 weeks and five days. I talked about it with my family and friends, who were all very supportive. I felt it was an important story…

Sadly, Michelle’s trauma and actress Kym’s own personal experience can happen to anyone. In 2014, more than 100 babies every week were stillborn or died soon after birth, shattering the lives of all their loved ones. Erica Stewart, bereavement support and awareness specialist at stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, tells us: “We were approached by the writers and researchers at Coronation Street for advice and help to ensure that this storyline – which sees Michelle have a late miscarriage at 23 weeks – is portrayed truthfully and sensitively. Sadly, it affects 200,000 couples each year in the UK, with most pregnancies ending in the first 12 weeks. “The death of a baby is something that’s rarely talked about,” she adds. “So we hope that with a TV drama as…

“PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE CAIN GO BACK TO THE DARK PLACE SOMETIMES” Tortured Cain makes a huge choice about son Kyle’s future this week – after he raises his fist to his little lad. Thankfully, Cain stops himself just in time before he physically hurts the boy. But that moment does untold damage to Cain and his relationship with Kyle, leading the Dingle to decide to give the boy to someone else… “Cain goes back to a dark place,” explains Jeff Hordley, who plays him. “Everything is getting on top of him, and he’s not doing a very good job of taking care of Kyle now that Joanie is in prison for a while. “Kyle comes home early from school, throwing things about and playing up, and Cain raises his…

“DENISE CAN ONLY HIDE FROM THE TRUTH THAT PHIL IS THE DAD FOR SO LONG” It’s been Walford’s biggest and best-kept secret for months, but there is no defusing Denise’s baby bombshell as she finally gives birth to Phil’s child this week! After spending a drunken night of passion with his former nemesis last year, Phil still doesn’t remember that he and Denise even slept together – let alone know that they conceived a baby. However, with emotions running high in the Square and secrets bubbling away, will he learn the shocking truth at last? “Put it this way – it’s going to be an explosive week!” exclaims our EastEnders insider. “Denise has made the difficult decision to put her child up for adoption, but she can only hide from…

SONIA & REBECCA FOWLER EASTENDERS After giving birth to baby Chloe, not having realised that she was even pregnant, distraught teenager Sonia ordered that her daughter be taken away immediately. However, she became infatuated with the little girl – new name Rebecca – a few years later. Mother and daughter were reunited when Rebecca’s adoptive parents died in a car crash, and Sonia and dad Martin took over her care. LEELA & PERI LOMAX HOLLYOAKS Like Sonia, gymslip mum Leela welcomed daughter Peri into the world when she was still only a child herself. Leela’s parents Danny and Sam Lomax stepped up and agreed to raise Peri as their own, with Leela taking on the role of the girl’s sister. However, after the truth came out and Sam and Danny…