Corrie’s Sally Carman-Duttine is grateful for more than just her role as Abi Webster; she also met her now-hubby, Joe Duttine, on the show. The pair are loving life in a quaint village near Stockport, with Sally playing stepmum to Joe’s trio of kids. However, on-set it’s not quite a fairytale, Sally confesses that working alongside her partner, aka Tim Metcalfe of taxi fame, is less than ideal. “I’d be very happy never to have a scene with him ever again,” she admits with a laugh.
“I love Joe to bits, but I don’t like working with him – I’m never going to like working with him. Bless him, we’ve got very different work processes – let’s just put it like that. I like to come fully prepared and he likes to flesh it out on the floor. Also, he’s very funny. I’m such a giggler and once I’ve gone, I’m gone. It’s terrible and even if people get annoyed about it, it doesn’t help. He absolutely makes me howl with laughter and he does it on purpose. I get cross with him because he knows the situation, but he can’t help himself.”
Cupid struck shortly after Sally joined Corrie in 2017, leading to their nuptials in 2022. Beaming, she reveals: “I’m enjoying married life,” and gushes about her hubby: “Joe is awesome – I’ve lucked out big time. He’s my buddy and also I like to kiss him.”
Sadly, the same can’t be said for former drug addict Abi, who married garage owner Kevin Webster just a few months before Sally’s real-life wedding. While Sally and Joe are blissfully happy, Abi and Kevin’s love story has hit a rough patch, pushing Abi to the brink of an affair.
Ever since Kevin was diagnosed with cancer in February, he’s become irritable and distant. When Abi crosses paths with a handsome stranger in a supermarket car park, there’s an immediate spark. They initially clash over a parking spot, but when he compliments her and asks her out for a drink, she’s seriously tempted.
“It’s complete lust at first sight,” reveals Sally. “There’s that undeniable chemistry – it’s palpable. They just click. It was an instant attraction – they bounced off each other and it reignites something in Abi that’s been dormant for ages. She’s an addict and this gives her a thrill. It’s a different kind of thrill, but it’s exhilarating for her.”
Later that day, Abi is stunned to find out that the man is none other than Carl Webster, Kevin’s younger half-brother. And when Kevin invites him to stay, she’s mortified. “Because that’s too much of a temptation,” Sally explains. “She’s teetering on the edge and barely holding on around him every day because she absolutely just wants to dive straight in.
“He’s woken up her wild side, her passionate side and her sexual side. That was never really what her relationship with Kevin was about. That relationship is more loving than being in love and it is gratitude as well. Kevin was a massive part of her recovery – getting sober and having stability – she needed that and craved it. But now, having met Carl, she’s like, ‘Oh, what’s this?’ It’s early days, but it’s interesting to see how far she’ll go with it and what she’ll get up to in order to achieve her desired result, which is copping off with a gorgeous man!”.
Yorkshire-born Sally made her TV debut in City Central in 1998 and was a jobbing actress until 2005, when she landed the role of former heroin addict and prostitute Kelly Maguire in Shameless , a part she played until 2013. The role made her name, but Sally admits there was another unexpected benefit – it helped her get into the best shape of her life.
“When I was on Shameless , I worked out every single day because most of the time I had no clothes on,” she jokes. “I was playing a prostitute, so I was literally walking around in a bra and knickers. I swore by Pilates and I was super, super fit.”
Four years later, Sally joined Coronation Street. So, is she worried about getting typecast in those sorts of roles? “That ship sailed!” she says, grinning. “The thing is, I always go to auditions looking smart. I always wash my hair and my armpits and put on make-up. Yet I’m still always seen as the one who can play a tart, a prostitute, a drug addict or somebody who has fallen on hard times. But I’m OK with it. I get to play meaty parts and really interesting characters. I feel so lucky and I don’t understand how anyone could be upset about being typecast because that means you’re working, doesn’t it?”.
“I came into work yesterday and went into the Rovers Return and there was Joe, Sue Devaney [Debbie Webster], Mike Le Vell [Kevin Webster] and a few others. I got a real moment of gratitude where I thought, ‘It’s the best job in the world and I work here and I get to hang out with these people.'”.
“I love Coronation Street – I felt settled from day one. It was a long time coming. It took me 20-odd years to get here. I’ve had a very full career, I’ve done everything I want to do, so there’s no feeling of, ‘Oh, I really want to do this as well.’ I don’t. I’m getting everything I need as an actor creativity-wise from Abi. I do want to do a Christmas film one day, I will admit that, but otherwise Coronation Street ticks all the boxes.”
Sally finds her joy not only in her marriage to Joe but also deeply in her Christian beliefs. Tying the knot at St Philips in Salford, a significant location where she was baptised after embracing Christianity over a decade ago, Sally says, “My biggest passion in life is my faith,” She elaborates on this spiritual journey: “It’s less about doing and more about receiving God’s love. It’s about stripping away what isn’t important and focussing on what is. It’s a very real thing for me. I don’t know how people manage life without it to be honest.”
Joe, her other half, has a strong connection to the great outdoors, spending time canoeing and traversing the wilds, while Sally chuckles at their differing interests, saying, “He likes to be active outside a lot. I like to be outside a lot, but I like to be sitting down!” She loves lounging with a cosy blanket, getting lost in a film, binge-watching ‘Friends’, or delving into a good book and cherishes her solitude. “I’m really happy if I’m on the sofa under a blanket, watching a film or re-runs of Friends or reading a book. I love my own company, I’m never bored. I’m quite happy pottering around and hanging out with my dog, who’s my best mate.”
Amidst a life so starkly different from her character Abi’s tumultuous world, spontaneity is a trait they share. Mid-tour with a play, Sally made an impulsive decision that showcased her free-spirited side. “I make my mind up very quickly,” she admits, revealing the sudden change she made: “I was once on tour with a play. I’d done a week of the show with long hair and all the press photos had me with long hair and then I suddenly had it all cut off. I was out and I just thought, ‘Oh, I’ll get my hair cut.’ I didn’t plan it.
“Or I’ll just walk in and get a tattoo. I’ve got three, but one I’ve had done four or five times. It’s been cover up after cover up – it’s actually hideous, I hate it! The most recent is a fancy J with three stars on my ribs. The J is for Joe and the stars are for his three kids. That one is really nice.”