It’s been 13 years since the actress was last seen in the ITV soap and it was announced last month that she will reprise the role
Coronation Street’s returning star Jenny Platt said she was ‘really scared’ as she prepared to step foot back on the cobbles. It’s been 13 years since the actress was last seen on-screen in the ITV soap and it was announced last month that she will reprise the role of Violet Wilson.
Violet, the mother of Dylan Wilson who she shares with friend Sean Tully, was actually last seen in Weatherfield in 2008, 16 years ago after she gave birth to her son. Violet then moved to London with Dylan also leaving the show.
However, she later made a one-off appearance in an episode filmed on location in London in 2011, which is the last time we saw officially saw her but has often been referenced by Sean following Dylan’s return to the street.
Violet will be returning to show, with her first scenes on March 20, to support for her son who has recently been exposed for his involvement in the bullying of Liam Connor, alongside ringleader Mason Radcliffe. In the coming months, Dylan will be facing the serious repercussions of his actions and will be needing the support of both his parents.
Spoilers for next week have revealed that hen Sean admits that he hasn’t told Violet anything about Dylan’s predicament, Eileen Grimshaw’s horrified and points out that she has a right to know. Eileen puts pressure on Sean to call Violet, but Dylan reveals that he’s already spoken to his Mum and she can’t attend the court hearing as she’s in Ibiza.
The day of his court hearing arrives and Dylan pleads guilty to carrying a knife in a public place and Sean listens, upset. Having been handed a community service order, Dylan thanks Sean for all his support and promises him that he intends to get his life back on track.
Sean and Dylan return home to find Eileen there with Violet who’s clearly fuming. Violet turns on Dylan wondering if there’s something he’d like to tell her.
Speaking returning to the cobbles, which are now in a new location to when she last filmed on the street, Jenny said: “I was really scared because it was such a massive part of my life and one that I absolutely adored. I genuinely loved every minute of being there.”
She added of her time filming, which has already come to an end: “It was absolutely brilliant and everything I hoped for, still so many of the same people and it’s just like putting on a comfy old pair of shoes. You kind of go: ‘Ah, yes, I get to wear this character again and see these people.”
When quizzed on whether Corrie fans may see her return again – and more importantly if she’d like to – the 44-year-old actress admitted: “I think it’s interesting, I feel like there’s two different answers to that, I think one is the answer for Violet and one is the answer for me as the actress.
“So for Violet, in many ways, I actually think maybe it’d be a nice thing for her to be able to just disappear off to London, take Dylan with her, keep him safe and just go back to normal life. And I think that would be the best outcome for Violet and the best thing for Dylan maybe.
“But as an actress, obviously I’ve never felt like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s it I want to put that character to bed’. I loved my time on Coronation Street, and I’ve always found Violet really lovely to play. She’s got heart and she’s warm, but she’s made a lot of mistakes. So, I always feel like she’s kind of one of us, and of course I’d love to see what she could get up to if Dylan was getting into more trouble.
“And especially that idea of co-parenting with a non-romantic partner. I’d find that a really interesting one and that would be great to develop on screen. So those are the two answers. I think for Violet it would be much better if she just disappeared off. But for me as an actress, of course it would be great fun to see her come back and see what she would get up to.”
Also speaking about being back with Antony Cotton, who plays Sean, and Dylan actor Liam McChenye, Jenny revealed how the young actor thinks they even look like a real family after having new promo shots taken. “Liam said in the old pictures of us together we genuinely look like a family, and it’s true. And Liam is the most delightful boy, he was offering to make me cups of tea and show me around the building, as Corrie has moved to a different studio since I was in it.
“I loved working with him, he’s a really good actor and knows exactly what he’s doing with his character. And it’s a joy to be back with Antony and Sue [Cleaver, who plays Eileen].
