Tough times for Gemma on Coro Street.
Gemma Winter and Chesney Brown, complete with four babies, have always been slightly comical characters on Coronation Street. But their lives are now taking a far more serious turn as Gemma faces post-natal depression. James Rampton reports.
The soaps have always played a really useful social function in raising awareness about critical issues.
For example, as far back as 2000, the EastEnders storyline about Mark Fowler being HIV positive enormously increased the understanding of the condition in the UK.
In the same way, the Coronation Street story about modern slavery, written in consultation with the Salvation Army and focused on the character of the Romanian immigrant Alina (Ruxandra Porojnicu), really boosted people’s appreciation of the enormity of that problem.
Meanwhile, the soap’s coverage of the subject of coercive control, revolving around the tyrannical hold that Geoff (Ian Bartholomew) has over Yasmeen (Shelley King), has also heightened viewers’ awareness of that growing menace.
The current Coronation Street plotline centred on Gemma Winter (played by Dolly Rose Campbell) should have a similar effect. It is likely to help increase people’s consciousness of the difficulties posed by postnatal depression.
It will also give a voice to all those women who find the early years of motherhood an incredibly tough challenge.
Gemma is finding it harder and harder to cope with the burden of nursing four babies.
Campbell, who has played Gemma for the past six years, details how her character has been feeling.
“She has struggled from the start looking after four babies, but she thought that was just normal. Who wouldn’t struggle with that many babies?
“But things get really bad ... She is starting to have awful dreams where she is putting the babies in danger and it is really starting to affect her.”
The 32-year-old actress, who has also appeared in Doctors, reveals that matters come to a head when the health visitor comes to see her.
“She is really upset because the health visitor tells her that Llio has lost weight and she needs to increase her milk.
“This is something that can easily happen, but for Gemma it is just another indication that she is a bad mother and that she is not coping.”
Things get even worse for Gemma after the health visitor leaves.
“Gemma holds it together,” says Campbell. “But when the health visitor has gone, she breaks down.
“As the babies start crying, she goes outside to gather herself and then deal with them, but the door slams shut and locks her out.”
Fortunately for Gemma, however, the cavalry – in the shape of her mother Bernie (Jane Hazelgrove) – turns up on her doorstep.
“Gemma has never been more pleased to see her mum,” says Campbell. “Bernie takes control of the situation and breaks down the door. The children are fine inside. But Gemma is hysterical and tells her mum she hasn’t been able to sleep at all.”
Bernie has not always been there for Gemma, but she really comes through for her in her hour of need. She sees that her distressed daughter is on the verge of postnatal depression.
Campbell continues that, “Bernie tries to calm her down and offers to move in. But Bernie knows there’s more to this and wants Gemma to see a doctor.”
Gemma is initially reluctant to go to the doctor, but her mother persuades her to do so by threatening to reveal all to Gemma’s partner Chesney (Sam Aston).
Campbell observes that, “Gemma doesn’t feel that she needs to see the doctor. But Bernie tells her that she will tell Chesney about what’s been happening if she doesn’t go.”
The appointment does not go as planned, though, and it merely ends up intensifying Gemma’s anxiety.
The actress says that, “Even in the surgery, it is really left to Bernie to tell Dr Gaddas about her worries about Gemma and what Gemma has told her.
“Gemma tries to play it down as tiredness, and this causes a row between her and Bernie.”
Campbell underlines just how vital is it for Coro to show Gemma going through these struggles.
“It is really important. It would have been easy just to have lots of comedy with Gemma and the quads. But it would have been unrealistic if we didn’t show the struggles she is having.
“As the story develops, it becomes clear to Gemma that this is more than just the baby blues and tiredness, and she will be forced to come to terms with the fact that she is ill and needs help.”