Claire Sweeney appeared on Good Morning Britain today to discuss her character’s troubled storylines and what is coming up for her on the Cobbles. The ITV soap has been packed with drama lately, following the revelation that Cassie Plummer had been drugging and scamming Ken Barlow, who she was supposed to be caring for.
She also convinced him he was losing his memory after scamming him and using his debit card to make purchases online. Earlier this month, Ken confronted Cassie and she was later arrested, since then her life has turned upside down as the Street became aware of what has been happening.
The Walton-born actress joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2023, as the daughter of Evelyn Plummer. Claire first made a name for herself on Brookside, playing the role of Lindsey Corkhill on the Channel 4 soap.
GMB shared an exclusive peek for Friday’s episode, a scene when Evelyn Plummer pays a visit to her daughter Cassie after her behaviour on the famous Street. Susanna Reid asked Claire how she is getting on, as everyone is “fed up” of her.
Susanna joked “you’re a horror, you’re a terror”, before asking the actress what is happening this week on the ITV soap. Claire said: “Dame Maureen Lipman is back, it’s always exciting when she comes back to the Cobbles. It always means there are some good two-hander scenes.”
Dame Maureen Lipman has played Coronation Street favourite, Evelyn Plummer, since 2018. She recently made a surprise decision on the cobbles.
Discussing working with legendary soap star Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, Claire told the GMB presenters: “He’s 93 years of age, his eyes twinkle, his hair shines and he never drops a line. He is just a legend, when I am working with him he is that good he’ll be running lines and I’ll think he’s talking to me.”
The 53-year-old actress became a fan-favourite on Coronation Street, but Claire admitted she was taken aback when she was presented with this major storyline working alongside Bill Roache. She said: “I was shocked, it’s Ken Barlow, he’s a national treasure.
“I’m going to be Public Enemy No 1! I think viewers are going to hate her. The funny thing is that they’ve just started to like her – they were finally warming to her – and then this happens.”
Claire admitted that she has been “lucky” since joining Coronation Street and has been involved in some “great storylines” during her two years playing Cassie. She says she “adores” working with Simon Gregson, Simon plays the role of Steve McDonald.
Susanna was eager to find out if a potential romance storyline could blossom between their counterparts. She teased “We were trailing a little bit earlier that you may like a storyline to happen, what would that be?”
The Cassie Plummer star responded “I love working with Si Gregson, he makes me laugh and he is so brilliant to work with and I think it would be about wife number nine or something.” Opening up on the type of Corrie wedding she would enjoy, Claire said “flash, absolutely flash.”
Although it may seem that the Brookside actress has fitted in perfectly, she shared her “nerves” when she first joined the show. She recalled sitting in the dressing room one day and seeing all the big Corrie stars walking in, including Simon Gregson.