Coronation Street’s Millie Gibson was left ‘a blubbering mess’ when she read hate crime storyline

Coronation Street star Millie Gibson has said she was left ‘a blubbering mess’ after reading the plot for Nina Lucas’ hate crime attack on the soap.

Speaking to The Mirror on Thursday, the actress, 16, who plays Kelly Neelan spoke about Wednesday’s episode, which saw Nina and her boyfriend Seb Franklin (Harry Visinoni) get attacked by a gang of thugs who shout abuse about her goth identity.

The storyline has many similarities to what happened to Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered in a Lancashire park in 2007, and the soap has worked with a foundation set up by the late 20-year-old’s mother Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE. 

Reflecting on when she read the script, Millie admitted: ‘I was just a blubbering mess. We knew we had to make this an amazing educational storyline.

‘Because it is based on true stories of hate crime, bringing it to a soap it is critical to get it right.’

Harriet Bibby, 22, who plays Summer Spellman on the soap, also spoke about the horrific plot, admitting: ‘I think it will make people think, “how would I have reacted in that situation? Would I have done what Asha did or what Kelly did?”

‘It will make you think what is right or wrong in that situation.’

On Wednesday, Mollie Gallagher, who plays Nina, discussed the hard-hitting storyline ahead of the episode, admitting she ‘wanted to cry’ after seeing her character’s injuries in make-up.  

The actress added that she hopes to do the important scenes ‘justice’ and that it ‘breaks her heart’ knowing this has happened and does happen in real life. 

Speaking to The Sun, Mollie said: ‘I remember the first time I had the make-up done, I hadn’t filmed any scenes yet and I’d just been rehearsing it in my mirror at home by myself. As soon as the makeup was done, I just wanted to cry. 

‘I remember looking at my reflection and thinking: “Wow”. I already knew it was awful but when you’re actually in it, I thought I could cry. 

‘It was a really strange feeling. I kept thinking about all the scenes and what was coming up. It did help in a way as I was able to hold that feeling when we filmed the scenes. It was a massive help.’

Mollie added to the Mirror: ‘Because this stuff has happened it’s such an important story to tell. I felt a lot of emotions. I am really privileged to be given such an important storyline but I am also nervous because I want to do the story justice. 

‘I have really put my all into it and hopefully it shows. You see the human effect this has on someone who you would say is strong. Knowing this has happened and does happen breaks my heart.’

Mollie said that she worked closely with the late Sophie Lancaster’s mother Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE to make sure she was as ‘accurate’ as possible during the storyline.   

Sylvia told the publication it was ‘lovely’ to speak to Mollie and that people are ‘looking behind’ her character Nina’s clothes and image.    

She added: ‘It so important to get the message out there, intolerance and prejudice, we have to get it out of society. Alternative people like other minorities deserve to walk down the street without being abused physically or emotionally.’

Sylvia also appeared on Wednesday’s This Morning where she praised Coronation Street for handling the storyline ‘sensitively’.

She said: ‘You can tell, they sort of live and breathe the work they’re doing, and you know they’re going to do things with sensitivity and the best they can, and you can’t ask any more than that.’

Sylvia said that due to Covid her foundation has not been able to go into schools or festivals but they have still ‘kept busy’ by ‘working in a different way’. 

She added: ‘Sometimes it only takes a couple of seconds stand back and think about and see what we can do and make a difference to people’s lives.’ 

Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, then 21, were set upon and beaten in a park simply because of the way they looked on 11 August in 2007. 

Sophie’s injuries were so severe, she died in hospital 13 days later, aged 20. Ryan Herbert and Brendan Harris, then both 15, were sentenced to life in prison.

Her mum, Sylvia, set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in her daughter’s memory to focus on creating respect and understanding of subcultures in communities.

When the storyline was first discussed producers and the research team approached Sylvia who was delighted to be able to work with them to help highlight the issue.

Corrie viewers have seen Nina and Seb fall head over heels in love in recent weeks, but her goth identity has resulted in some prejudiced reactions.

Among those is character Corey Brent (Maximus Evans), the boyfriend of Nina’s best friend Asha, he has long made his intolerance towards Nina known.

In the dramatic episode on Wednesday, the couple were out walking when Corey and a gang of drunken mates including Kelly, corner and goad the pair.

As Corey starts hurling abuse, Kelly finds herself egged on by the crowd and slaps Nina. Seb and Nina hurry away as the gang gives chase and they find themselves subject to an unprovoked attack.

Back on the Street, Abi and Kevin’s hen and stag night parties are brought to an abrupt halt when the police arrive with news of the attack.

As Abi and Roy rush to the hospital to be with Seb and Nina, the police start the investigation to get to the bottom of which of the teenage gang was responsible for the vicious assault that has left the young couple with horrific injuries.

The story will draw in the street’s other teenagers as Summer, Asha and Amy find themselves caught up in the aftermath as potential witnesses in the police inquiry.

Sophie’s mother Sylvia said that the soap covering a story about the abuse alternative people face ‘means such a huge amount’ to her.

She said: ‘I know first-hand the abuse, harassment and violence that alternative people suffer.

‘Hate crime is usually directed at already stigmatised and minority groups and Sophie was assaulted three times before that final, sustained and brutal attack that took her life – but she never reported the earlier assaults.

‘Coronation Street covering this issue means such a huge amount to me. We want alternative people to know that they shouldn’t be putting up with this prejudice and intolerance, and they should report it.

‘We want the wider community to really appreciate the horror of this violence and understand that difference in itself, is not frightening, it just makes us all who we are.

‘We will also use this platform to continue raising awareness of Sophie’s case with the police and judiciary to make sure that hate crime against alternative people is recognised and treated with the degree of severity that it deserves.’

On the importance of tackling this storyline Coronation Street, producer Iain MacLeod said: ‘The issue of intolerance and hatred towards people from different cultures and subcultures is arguably more relevant now than it’s ever been.

‘This incredibly hard-hitting storyline, which centres on a senseless act of violence, will draw in characters from all corners of our narrative universe and will, we hope, leave the audience with a clear message: everyone, regardless of how they look, how they dress or any aspect of how they live their life, should be treated with tolerance and respect.

‘The story will run across the rest of the year and beyond, with many twists and turns, and will be heartbreaking and dramatic in equal measure. In the end, the story will see an optimistic outcome emerge from the traumatic attack.’