Jane Danson has praised her three-year-old ‘Coronation Street’ co-stars for dealing with their "harrowing" plot.
The 41-year-old actress opened up on her current storyline – which sees her character Leanne Battersby rocked when her son Oliver gets diagnosed with an incurable form of mitochondrial disease – and admitted the two boys tasked with playing him have done a great job.
She said: "I’ve been amazed by the little boys who play Oliver, the twins Jeremiah and Emmanuel [Cheetham] are only three and they’ve been unbelievable.
"They’ve done everything they’ve been asked, they’ve had medical equipment stuck to them, they’ve had to lay down in a hospital bed and be still and that’s really tough for a three year old.
"We’ve also got a body double George who’s older but quite small and he’s been an absolute star as well.
"Because they’ve been so brilliant and the scripts have been so heartbreaking, it’s not been hard to find the emotion."
Jane admitted her young co-stars – and the script itself – have made the experience "easier" on set, despite the difficult subject matter.
She added: "So has it been hard to film emotionally, yes, the subject matter is harrowing so that’s tough, as a mum you can put yourself in that situation.
"But has it been hard to get there, no, because the scripts are so truthful and our little boys have done what they needed to do so well that it’s made my job a lot easier."
The ‘Corrie’ star also opened up on how Leanne copes with her son’s disease, which results in cell injury and cell death and can lead to whole organ systems failing.
She said: "She tries to remain in control, she takes on the mantle of saying he’s my son, I’ll deal with this and she really puts up the barriers.
"Everyone around her is trying to help but they all become punch bags for her emotion.
"There’s an element of denial to a point but then once there’s some acceptance she decides Oliver needs her and no-one else."