Coronation Street’s Stoma Story – Exclusive interview with Lucy Fallon

03 October, 2024

There’s great excitement in the Stoma Community that one of the UK’s best loved TV Soaps is going to feature a storyline where a major character (Bethany Platt, played by Lucy Fallon) has stoma surgery.

We spoke to Lucy about the story, how she prepared for it, and what she knew about stomas previously.

Q- Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. We’re really excited that one of the UK’s most popular TV shows is going to feature a major character living with a stoma. What was your initial reaction when you found out that Bethany was going to have a stoma?

When I first heard about it, I was pleased that they have trusted me with it because it’s an important storyline and of course I really enjoy doing issue based storylines. Obviously this is really hard-hitting, which is exciting from an actor’s point of view, but it does come with quite a lot of pressure and responsibility to get it right because this happens to real life people. The storyline is also incredibly important as there’s countless horror stories out there of people talking about their experiences of cosmetic surgery abroad so I really hope this storyline can make people rethink going abroad for cosmetic surgery.

Q – One of the challenges we face is that because stomas are a hidden condition, there is a lack of knowledge still in society about what they are, why people can need one, and the impact they can have on people’s lives, both negative, and positive. What did you know about stomas prior to this storyline and has Bethany’s story changed your perception of what it’s like to live with a stoma?

I knew a little bit about stomas before filming the storyline because I had seen more and more people talk about it on TV and social media. There’s quite a lot of pages and people on TikTok who promote stoma positivity which is great. So I did know a little bit, but not as much as I do now.

Q- How does it feel to ‘wear’ a stoma bag during filming the storyline.

It’s been really interesting for me to be filming with a stoma. It’s really discreet and I can’t actually feel it when I’m filming, but of course it isn’t actually attached the way a stoma would be.

Q – Some high-profile personalities like Mollie Pearce and Louise Thompson have recently been quite public about their stomas. Who or what resources did you use to prepare for the role, and did their journeys influence you at all.

We worked closely with Colostomy UK who have been incredible. I had a meeting with two volunteers from the charity who gave me a lot of insightful information and told me their thoughts and experiences of life with a stoma. They also spoke about what life was like for them after getting a stoma, their struggles, what has changed and what hasn’t changed which was really helpful listening to everything they had to say. As I also mentioned before, I’ve been doing a lot of my own research on social media like TikTok where you can actually watch people changing their stoma bags and hear about their experiences too.

Q- Based on what you’ve learnt for far, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing people living with stomas?

Something I know that’s a huge challenge for Bethany, as well as through research I have done, is she’s embarrassed and worried about being intimate and actually, It’s made her feel even more insecure than she ever felt before she decided to get liposuction. There’s also the challenge of being too scared to leave the house with the risk of your stoma bag leaking – which I know is a battle for many others.

Q- What do you hope that people will take away from Bethany’s story and the obstacles she has had to overcome in returning to ‘normal life’

I think it’s important that in time, Bethany will start to accept what’s happened to her and realise that having a stoma hasn’t actually affected her life as much as she probably thought it would, but I do think it will take a couple of setbacks and bumps in the road to eventually get there – which I believe would be the case for most people.

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