Thursday, 20 August 2009

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Fears For Corrie’s Helen Flanagan: Too much too soon

'Rosie Webster' sparks worries as she parties hard after her love split

Helen Flanagan celebrated her 19th birthday at Panacea in Manchester

Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan didn’t seem to care who saw her looking dishevelled in her nightclothes on a trip to Asda with a friend last week.

It’s a worrying sign of the state of mind of the gorgeous star, who plays sex kitten Rosie Webster in the soap, since she split with Daniel Scott, 22, the man she thought she’d marry.

‘One of the reasons Helen’s partying stands out is that she used to stay in all the time when she was with Danny,’ a source close to the actress tells Now.

‘She was very loved-up – they moved in together three months after meeting, after all – but he also used to get jealous. Helen was torn between wanting to reassure him and enjoying the attention she gets as a sex symbol.'

Danny was said to have struggled with Helen’s sexy image, although a spokesman for the soap insists the split was amicable and that Danny wasn’t jealous.

‘It’s sad because Helen actually thought they would get married and be together for ever,' says our source. 'She’s constantly in tears. She feels like the relationship grounded her, so without that she doesn’t know what to do. Helen’s had fame from such a young age. In a way that protected her from real life.’

Amid reports from the Corrie set that she’s been in tears, Helen was forced to spend her 19th birthday with friends rather than her man. She looked extremely drunk and even had to be helped back into her shoes at one point by co-stars Brooke Vincent, Vicky Binns and Jennie McAlpine on the night out at Manchester hot spot Panacea.

That followed hot on the heels of a night out the week before, where Helen got hammered alongside co-stars Kym Marsh and Nikki Patel. The trio got so leathered at Manchester’s San Carlo restaurant that Helen and Nikki even took a tumble to the ground when they left.

‘As Danny’s moved back in with his parents, Helen has to go home to the house they shared on her own,’ the friend adds. ‘She just tries to blot that out. It’s tough when it’s a first love like that.

‘The way she’s behaving is reminiscent of the distress Britney Spears showed after she split from childhood sweetheart Justin Timberlake. It isn’t easy balancing the attention you get as a sex symbol with a stable relationship. We’re hoping she’ll be back to her old self soon.’

Teenage sweethearts

Helen met builder Danny in the sauna of a local gym. The pair soon moved in together, sharing a flat near the Corrie studio. ‘He’s the love of my life. It was a bit quick, but we’re pretty much inseparable now,’ the actress said at the time.

See the full story about Helen Flanagan in Now magazine dated 24 August 2009 - out now!

beth_mcloughlin@ipcmedia.com