Helen Flanagan, who played Rosie Webster on Coronation Street, has received support from her on-screen aunt, who believes the show’s producers should have better protected her as a young teenager. This comes after Flanagan spoke out about feeling ‘sexualised’ by the show when she was only 16 years old.
Helen, now 35, is famous for her role as Rosie Webster on the long-running TV show. She first joined the cast when she was 10 years old in 2000 and played the character until 2012, later returning for another year in 2017.
A particularly impactful storyline involved her character, at age 15, being manipulated by her teacher, John Stape, an actor 17 years older than her.
After their relationship became public and John lost his job, the story reached its peak when he kidnapped Rosie and held her hostage.
Helen has recently shared that she felt deeply uncomfortable filming scenes with a significantly older man when she was only 16, describing them as sexually suggestive.
She criticized the producers, questioning whether it was ethical to have asked her to perform in revealing clothing while she was still a teenager, implying it sexualized her inappropriately.
Sue Devaney, a co-star on Coronation Street who plays Rosie’s aunt Debbie Webster, has spoken out in support of Helen, claiming the show didn’t provide her with adequate care.
At Monday’s TV Choice Awards, Sue, 58, told Richard Eden from the Mail that nobody deserves to feel uncomfortable or experience something unpleasant like that.
‘The people around her should have been protecting her.’
Helen told The Mirror that Alison King, a fellow cast member, also stood up for her back then. However, Helen admitted she didn’t really understand what was happening at the time because she was a teenager.
The mother of three remembered Alison King, who plays Carla Connor, getting upset in the dressing room. Alison had complained that it was wrong and upsetting to portray her character as sexually attractive when she was younger.
I didn’t understand what she meant back then, but I do now. It involved having to film intimate scenes – kissing and bedroom scenes – with a much older man.
She was too young to speak up for herself at the time, explaining that as a 16-year-old, she was just grateful to be involved in major plotlines. However, some scenes she filmed as Rosie made her feel uncomfortable and even disgusted afterward.
Even though things have been tough, Helen has expressed her eagerness to rejoin Coronation Street, seven years after her last appearance on the show.
The model, who lives near the Salford, Manchester set, said the job would have been easy because she shares parenting responsibilities for her three children with her former partner, Scott Sinclair. However, she wasn’t asked to return.
She said the job would be a good fit because she lives close to the Salford filming location. It would also let her balance work with raising her three children – Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, three – whom she co-parents with her former partner, Scott Sinclair.
She told The Sun she’d be happy to return to Coronation Street, but no one has approached her about it, despite living nearby. She reiterated her willingness to reprise her role if asked, but it seems they haven’t considered it.
Helen expressed her strong interest in returning to the ITV soap last year, even suggesting a potential storyline for her character, Rosie.
She expressed her desire to return to Coronation Street, envisioning a role as a single mother with a compelling storyline. She imagined her character occasionally leaving her two children with Sally Webster so she could pursue a comeback as a barmaid at the Rovers Return, fulfilling a memorable role.
In her recent autobiography, Helen shared that she found it difficult when she briefly returned to Coronation Street in 2017. She explained that the environment on set had shifted and that unfriendly groups had developed.
Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! She said one of her co-stars – she didn’t even SAY who, which is SO frustrating – was a total mean girl! Apparently, this actress was just…cold. Like, actively making her feel uncomfortable! I’m so mad on her behalf, honestly. It’s awful to hear someone was treated like that on set. I just want to know WHO it was!
In her book, Head & Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns And Being Rosie, Rosie recalled feeling excluded by some of her co-stars. She specifically described one actress who often made her feel uncomfortable with sarcastic and cold behavior.
She might have been upset that my comeback received a lot of media coverage – something I couldn’t control – but I believe she misunderstood who I am.
I often felt isolated and left out, especially during lunch breaks. Looking back, it reminds me of the movie Mean Girls. I’m usually friendly with everyone, but this one actress was consistently unkind to me.
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2026-02-04 12:39