Shelley King think having absolute trust in her ‘Coronation Street’ co-star Ian Bartholomew has been the key to their abuse storyline.
The 64-year-old actress – who plays Yasmeen Nazir on the ITV soap – believes having a healthy off-screen relationship with the actor who plays Yasmeen’s emotionally abusive partner, Geoff Metcalfe, has been crucial to its impact.
Appearing on ITV’s ‘Loose Women’, Shelley shared: "Ian is a wonderful, lovely man – he really, really is. We trust each other absolutely, otherwise I don’t we could go to the places we have to go to."
Shelley has played an active role in helping to develop the current storyline.
And the actress appreciates the collaborative approach of the people she works with on ‘Coronation Street’.
She explained: "I’m a hands-on person.
"I’ve done a lot of work in theatre with new writing, so … and, thank goodness the producers in ‘Corrie’ have encouraged that. I think we can all work together, the story writers, the editors …"
The actress has received advice and information about emotional abuse from Women’s Aid, a charity that aims to end domestic violence against women and children.
And Shelley explained that her on-screen storyline is actually "anodyne" compared to the real-life struggles of some women.
She said: "Women’s Aid have been helping us by introducing us to a number of people, we can talk to people who have survived these terrible times in their lives.
"And a lot of the stories … I have to say, some of the stuff that you see is anodyne compared to the things that have happened to people. But everything we show has been drawn from fact and from experience."
Shelley King says trusting co-star was key to Coronation Street storyline
