Monday, 21 July 2008

Coronation Street to get first lesbian character

ITV soap to feature new gay storyline

Sean Tully – played by Antony Cotton – is currently the only gay character in Coronation Street

Coronation Street is set to introduce a new face in Weatherfield.

The newcomer will be the first gay female to feature in the soap and comes following the success of The Street's Sean Tully, played by Antony Cotton, 32, who joined the cast in 2003.

‘Executives want to create a soap which is representative of society in 2008 and they are acutely aware they need more gay characters,’ an insider tells the News Of The World.

Barmaid Violet Wilson (played by Jenny Platt, 28) was originally intended to come out as a lesbian. But her on-screen relationships with Jamie Baldwin (Rupert Hill, 30) and Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas, 23) were popular with audiences so the storyline changed.

‘It does seem ridiculous it has never been explored on Corrie,' the source reveals, 'but that's all about to change.’

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