Coronation Street: 'Leanne Battersby will never give up on abusive son,' says Jane Danson
DESPITE being terrorised by her step-son Simon Barlow, Leanne Battersby will never give up on the fiery teenager, explains Coronation Street actress Jane Danson.
Jane Danson says Leanne Battersby will never give up on step-son Simon Barlow
Leanne's been through the mill more than anyone during her 18 years on the Street, but her latest tragic dilemma sees the mother fall victim to an abusive relationship with her reckless son Simon.
While audiences are begging for Leanne to run for the hills, Jane insists "she'll never give up on Simon" after adopting him during her failed marriage to Peter Barlow - despite him having left her unconscious during a violent argument.
"When they proposed this storyline I was a bit concerned," explained Jane. "Because historically Leann is quite a strong character.
"I thought 'Leanne wouldn't go through that,' but she'll never give up on him."
The adopted mother was rendered unconcsious by the teen terror
But her strength is gradually diminishing by the day as the aggressive youngster becomes out of control, although "it's been quite interesting to see a different side to Leanne," she said.
Domestic abuse between mothers and their sons is extraordinarily high in the UK with approximately one in 11 families going through the brutal trauma. For a 13-year-old actor, the storyline could have proven too much, but Jane assures that Alex Bain - whose played Simon since he was six - has dealt with the script "beautifully".
Coronation Street Spoiler: Liz grills Leanne
ITV
She added: "I've been working with Alex since he was six. He's dealt with this storyline with such maturity and he's such a sweet little boy so it's unnatural for him."
Simon's been whisked away by his father for a few weeks while Leanne is being kept company by a close friend Evie. But their conflict is far from over and more explosions are inevitable when the teenage terror returns.
Coronation Street continues tonight at 8.00pm on ITV1.