CORRIE STAR
HARROWING bullying plotlines have Coronation Street viewers gripped, but actress Samia Longchambon admits she didn’t need to do much research.
She knows what it’s like, because she was bullied herself throughout primary and secondary school.
“There’s that saying: ‘Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me,’” the 41-yearold, who plays Maria Connor, says.
“But they do. Bruises can fade, but words are so much more painful. They have massive lasting effects on people.”
In the ITV soap, Maria’s son Liam, played by Charlie Wrenshall, has been bombarded with online abuse and threatened with a knife – prompting him to consider ending his own life.
It’s something no parent ever wants to think they might have to endure, which explains why viewers have applauded the storyline.
Samia’s portrayal of Maria’s emotional breakdown has struck a chord with parents who have posted clips online, leading to some going viral on Gen Z favourite Tiktok, of all places.
“I just need to draw on my own experiences of life,” Samia reflects. “I got bullied as a kid myself and I’ve got two children.
“I was bullied throughout my childhood. I was bullied a bit in primary school, and then at high school as well.”
It was her daughter Freya, 14, who let Samia know she was going viral. “Apparently on Tiktok it just blew up – teenagers saying they were watching Corrie and they’ve not watched it before,” she says.
“Freya came downstairs yesterday and said her phone was going mad with messages from her friends, who don’t normally watch Corrie.
“The storyline has been hard, because she is 14, the same age as Charlie, who plays Liam. And also, I’ve got a son and the thought that either of them could go through something like that is awful. But the message seems to be getting out there.
“It’s important to talk to people, to not bottle things up. As much as people are scared of being a snitch, or that kind of stigma attached to that, the
It’s not nice to think about, but it might help kids going through it SAMIA LONGCHAMBON ON BULLYING STORYLINE
bigger picture is that you need to tell an adult, you need to tell your friends, you need to just keep talking.”
But considering her own past, it’s been difficult for Samia to film. “It’s not a nice thing to think about and when we’re acting it and making ourselves cry it is exhausting, because your body doesn’t know it’s not real,” she explains.
“But it’s good to think [it] might help kids who are going through it.”
Samia lives in Cheshire with her