Corrie star 'uncomfortable' watching grooming scenes
It does make me feel quite uncomfortable, as it does for quite a lot of the viewers
Coronation Street star Lucy Fallon has admitted she finds it uncomfortable watching scenes where her own teenage character is groomed by an older man.
Appearing on Lorraine this morning, the actress watched the moment her character Bethany Platt gets into bed with Nathan Curtis, played by Chris Harper, for the first time.
Currently one of the soap's most talked-about storylines, many viewers have criticised writers for dramatising the issue of child grooming on a pre-watershed programme.
However, the actors at the centre of the gripping storyline insist it's important the soap targets its younger audience members because they are the people most likely to be affected by the issues portrayed.
After the scene was played out, Lucy, 21, said: "I haven't actually watched that yet because it does make me feel quite uncomfortable, as it does for quite a lot of the viewers.
"But it's so important that we do it at this time because we are targeting people who watch Coronation Street who are quite young."
Lucy's co-star Chris Harper, who is an ambassador for sexual abuse charity Voicing CSA, added that the show has a responsibility to open communication about the issue.
"The really key thing is to start the conversation, whether it's your son or daughter you've got concerns about or whether you yourself have been abused in the past, or even present tense," he said.
Applauding the show for its sensitive portrayal of the issue, Chris, who is running the London Marathon to raise funds and awareness for the children's charity NSPCC, added: "It's really important that Coronation Street spreads the news that there are places to go to support you."
Coronation Street airs tonight at 7pm on ITV.