With Joel Deering (Calum Lill) still walking the cobbles of Coronation Street as a free man, Vicky Myers (DS Lisa Swain) has revealed how she would like to see the character get his comeuppance.
Fans of the ITV soap recently learned that abusive Joel is really behind Lauren Bolton’s (Cait Fitton) disappearance, after Roy Cropper (David Neilson) was wrongly arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of her murder.
More recently, known groomer Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper), has been charged with the crime, leaving Joel to carry on with life as normal in Weatherfield, including his relationship with Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown).
DS Swain has been involved with Lauren’s case since the beginning, and while she’s yet to find the real culprit, Vicky would love to see her character be central to Joel’s downfall.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Vicky predicted Swain would be ‘fierce’ upon discovering the truth, explaining: ‘I could only begin to imagine how Lisa would feel about that, what with Joel being in a similar profession and a position of trust.
‘That abuse of trust and power, targeting vulnerable women – including her own daughter – she would be fierce with that. Not solely for the women he’s groomed but the women he’s abused full stop like Dee-Dee and Emily. There’s a whole host of women.
‘I feel that female empowerment and the rise up from that, the unity it will bring, will be terrific. For him to get his comeuppance either individually or collectively.
‘I’m really looking forward to it, which sounds ridiculous given the nature of the storyline, but with grooming, there are a lot of vulnerable young people who don’t necessarily realise that’s what it is.’
Vicky also paid tribute to the soap’s scriptwriters and researchers for their ‘impeccable’ work on the storyline in collaboration with the Maggie Oliver Foundation.
‘This will absolutely raise awareness and hopefully, just one person can watch it and know the signpost of people who are there to help and that they will be believed and seen,’ she added.
Vicky also admitted she has found the reception to her character ‘genuinely heartwarming’ since her first stint in Weatherfield back in 2021.
‘People have shared their stories and have also thanked me for representing a professional female in this iconic street who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, and that is something I’m hugely privileged to portray,’ she said.
‘It’s an honour and not one that I take likely or frivolously – with that comes a responsibility and I’m well aware of that and hope I portray her with justice.’
