‘She’s getting angrier and angrier...’

What has led Sally to believe Geoff may not be the victim?

It started in the hospital when Sally was listening to the detective saying that Geoff had been involved in an incident before, and then Alya said, ‘You’ve been bullying my gran for ages.’ And there’ve been other things – she heard about Geoff locking Yasmeen in a box, and there was Yasmeen wearing that red dress to the pub, which was really weird. Discovering Geoff saw prostitutes pushed her over the edge.

How much does Sally’s own wrongful imprisonment play into this?

I think it’s huge for her. And also, Sally was domestically abused years ago by Greg Kelly, so she’s remembering how awful that was. That was a different kind of abuse – she was beaten up – but I think Sally is getting angrier and angrier. This is such an important story, and in the lockdown period we have been hearing more and more about domestic violence. I think it’s one of the best stories we have ever played in Corrie.

Would Sally put Yasmeen before her own marriage?

I think she would, because how difficult would it be to live with someone who doesn’t have the same morals as you? How could she trust or respect Tim again?

Do you hope Tim and Sally’s marriage survives this?

I think as an actor, we’ve got to go as far as we possibly can, but I really want them to stay together. They’re a strong couple and we get so much comedy. I really enjoy that.

How will Sally’s relationship with Yasmeen change?

I hope this brings them together – I’d love Sally to have a best friend. She sees Gail, which is great, but there are conversations I wish Sally could have, and I hope she could have them with Yasmeen. I’d love her to talk about those years when she was with Greg, and the time she was with Kevin and he had an affair with Natalie. She has got so much to offload.

How have you spent your time during lockdown?

I took part in a brilliant thing called Eat Well MCR, to raise money to feed vulnerable people – we had a Corrie team in an online quiz. I’ve also been keeping fit, gardening, and I tried to make sourdough bread… It came out like a rock!

And how do you feel about going back to work?

I can’t wait! It’s going to be very different, but I think it’s going to be a really interesting time. We’ll get on with it, and as the weeks go by, social distancing will hopefully come down and things will get back to normal.