Coronation Street’s Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine) is set to face one of her toughest challenges yet as the trauma of losing her son Seb resurfaces in a harrowing PTSD storyline. Actress Sally has opened up about the emotional journey ahead, revealing how a shocking attack will push Abi to the brink.
Speaking about the impact of Mason’s stabbing, Sally explained: ‘I knew that coincided with Harry coming back, and that really interested me to see how that would play out. Acting out those scenes was amazing. There’s so much history there, and there is a realism to the scenes, because you’ve gone through it, whether it’s acting or not. It was the easiest thing to do in the world, to respond to and to play that, because it was actually happening in real time with him there in the room. I didn’t realize that could happen with PTSD – to realise people are suffering like that is horrific, absolutely horrendous.’
To bring authenticity to the storyline, the team worked closely with PTSD UK. Sally shared: ‘I did have a look at the symptoms, but I didn’t want to overload my head with information because that’s not how I work. I wanted to hear people’s stories about how it personally affected them, so I could make it personal and use that.’
The return of Harry Visinoni as Seb in Abi’s mind has been a major highlight for Sally. ‘I just loved it. It was gorgeous and just brightened my day. Even though we did those horrible scenes, he was so eager, and so happy to be back. He loved it. Having Abi and Seb back together was special.’
But it’s not just Abi’s past haunting her – she is also dealing with Kevin’s health issues. ‘She’s overwhelmed anyway, having to relive her son’s death numerous times throughout the day. The fear of losing Kev on top of everything else just intensifies the PTSD to the point where she has to do something about it.’
In a devastating moment, Abi leaves Alfie in the car, leading to a confrontation with Toyah. ‘She’s not thinking straight because she’s back in that headspace. She and Toyah were absolutely fine, but now she’s paranoid. She’s scared to death, and that fear manifests in paranoia, which is why she lashes out.’
Abi’s worst nightmare becomes reality when a social worker arrives at her home. ‘She walks in and sees a social worker sat there – that is her worst nightmare. The floor just gets taken from underneath her. It’s like an out-of-body experience.’
At first, Abi believes Debbie has reported her, straining their relationship. ‘She and Debbie have a brilliant relationship – they can be the closest friends and then best of enemies. But with Kevin’s illness, there are more moments of togetherness than opposition. Her mind just isn’t in the right place.’
However, when Abi finds out it was actually Toyah who reported her, she snaps. ‘It confirms everything she feels about Toyah. She’s decided in the PTSD that nothing and no one is going to come between her and Alfie, whatever that takes. She’s not going intentionally to kill her – she’s going to stop this once and for all. But then she ends up hitting her and essentially leaving her for dead.’
The ordeal leaves Abi spiraling. ‘She doesn’t actually know what she has done. She sees the house on fire and doesn’t understand how that’s happened, but she knows it’s probably her doing. She was angry. There was conflict. She puts two and two together and makes five. She believes there’s no way out of it.’
Sally admits she loves delving back into Abi’s darker side. ‘I love the intensity of the crisis. Whenever she sees Seb, it’s like the moment before he died, and she’s getting the news all over again. It’s been exhausting, but I love that she’s behaving badly again – she’s great when she behaves badly.’
With Kevin’s illness and an upcoming dementia storyline with Debbie, 2024 is set to be a defining year for Abi. ‘Corrie is an absolute dream job anyway, but to actually be involved in the Webster’s lives and be central to that just blows my socks off daily. I still have pinch-me moments all the time.’
Coronation Street continues Monday at 8pm on ITV1
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