IS IT ALL OVER FOR ADAM?

Corrie actor Sam Robertson on the devastation caused by Lydia’s lies – and whether he’ll be leaving the show

Adam’s torment at the hands of loopy Lydia escalates in Coronation Street this week, leaving his marriage in tatters and threatening his job as a lawyer. When Lydia shows Sarah ‘proof’ that she’s been having an affair with Adam, his gullible wife believes her and chucks all Adam’s belongings into the street (pictured inset).

Lydia also trashes her own home and calls the police – just before they arrive, Adam calls round, and she acts the victim and pretends to be terrified. Could he be facing career-ending allegations?

It’s a triumphant week for Lydia, who’s spent months weaving her web of lies in revenge for Adam treating her badly during a brief fling at university. ‘Adam is stunned to find out the lengths to which Lydia’s gone to stitch him up,’ says Sam Robertson, who’s played Adam since 2004. ‘She’s unhinged; he fears for his safety, and is hurt and surprised that Sarah, who he truly loves, believes Lydia. The storyline is a reflection of Adam’s past, where he didn’t treat women with respect. He’s regretful about it and thought he’d escaped, but it’s coming back to haunt him. He’s confused as he feels he’s a different person. He’s also scared the present will be badly wounded by his past.’

Sam, 36, admits he had doubts when told about this storyline. ‘It wasn’t long ago that Adam had a fling with Carla, which caused trouble in his marriage, and I worried about being involved in a similar plot,’ he says. ‘It’s been tough going from playing harmony with Sarah to being at each other’s throats again so soon, but as we’re coming to the end of it, it’s felt satisfying.’ Sam says he isn’t sure he can see his character getting back together with Sarah. ‘I don’t know if it will be the end for them or will make them stronger,’ he says. ‘It’s a conversation that I’d like to have with the writers and Tina O’brien, who plays Sarah. ‘Would I like to see them together? I don’t know about that either, as I feel I’m doing the same thing I did a year ago. The thing I’ve most enjoyed about working with Rebecca Ryan as Lydia is that it’s been different.’

Sam left Corrie in 2007 feeling overwhelmed by the attention the

role brought and, after returning in 2016, almost quit once more in 2019 before being allowed a ten-week holiday and changing his mind.

The bad news for Sam’s fans are his hints that he may be considering his future on the show again. ‘I’m five years into my latest stint – do I play the same character for another five?’ he asks. ‘I speak to guys who’ve been here 15 years and ask if they ever think about hanging up their character’s costume. They say that feeling happens. So, having come through this storyline, I need to recalibrate.

‘The pandemic’s been tough. I had no social contact with the other actors on set and, as I don’t live in Manchester, I’d be coming back to a hotel room every night on my own. I felt stuck in a quagmire where the job took over my life. As I’m coming to the end of this storyline, I’m in one of those places again, though I’m going on holiday soon and will hopefully feel I can go again. We’ll see…’ ■