Heartache for Amy
A drink-spiking scare will spell the end for Amy’s secret relationship, says Coronation Street’s Elle Mulvaney
Amy collapses and ends up in hospital in Coronation Street this week after she goes clubbing and has her drink spiked. It is bad news for her boyfriend Jacob, who gets blamed, attacked by Amy’s father Steve and then dumped by her.
The 18-year-old had been keeping her romance with the teenage delinquent secret after his gang put her family through hell.
But after Amy keels over in the club, Jacob tells Steve they’re an item and gets a punch in the face. Going from bad to worse, Jacob is arrested after Simon shops him for selling fake IDs to Amy’s pals.
Luckily Amy recovers – although the same can’t be said for her relationship. Despite being furious with Simon and Steve, Amy ends it when Leanne fills her in on the nightmare Jacob put her and Simon through.
‘Amy hasn’t told her family that she’s seeing Jacob as she knows they’ll resent it,’ explains Elle Mulvaney, who plays her. ‘After she’s rushed to hospital, Amy’s family think Jacob must have been responsible as he was a drug dealer. Amy insists it wasn’t him as she knows in her heart that he’s changed.
‘When Steve punches Jacob, Amy is furious. Then, when Jacob’s arrested because of Simon, she feels betrayed and that no one is taking her feelings into consideration. She’s upset that Jacob may never be accepted by her family when she really cares about him.’
But Amy finally – and reluctantly – has a change of heart when Leanne explains how much Jacob has hurt her and her family. Elle, who’s 19, says, ‘It makes Amy reflect on whether it’s worth it, especially as it’s causing so much upset to the people she loves. It’s the turning point for her. She knows it’s hopeless.’
Elle joined the show aged just seven in 2010. ‘It’s a completely different way of growing up,’ she admits. ‘But it’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve dealt with it for so long, it doesn’t really faze me that much.’
Now playing an adult character, Elle expects to see a different dynamic develop between Amy and her parents, Steve and Tracy. ‘Amy’s been through a lot; she’s mature.
‘As she gets older, they may become less strict and accept that she’s no longer a child. But that may take some time as they’re resistant to the idea that Amy is growing up!’