Why Leanne Battersby's Corrie stillbirth was therapy for actor Jane Danson
The actress told 'Loose Women' that recent scenes helped her come to terms with her own miscarriage
It was the Coronation Street storyline that needed a 'tissues at the ready' warning - because who didn't find themselves moist of eye witnessing Michelle Connor and Steve McDonald lose their baby to stillbirth at 22 weeks? Gulp.
And it seems it's not just the viewers who were affected by the soap's dramatic scripting. Actress Kym Marsh has already revealed how acting out the harrowing scenes brought back memories of the loss of her own son, Archie.
And now Jane Danson, who plays Leanne Battersby, has talked about how her role in the plot line was 'like therapy'.
In the soap, Jane's character Leanne was pregnant by the husband of Kym's character, Michelle, after a one-night stand at the same time Michelle was expecting the couple's baby.
While Michelle went on to have a devastating stillbirth, Leanne delivered a healthy little boy.
Speaking on ITV's Loose Women, Jane, 38, heaped praise on her colleague Kym for her portrayal of a bereaved mum, and said that the scene helped her deal with her own baby loss, too.
Jane, who has 2 sons, Harry, 10, and Alfie, 8, with her husband Robert Beck, told the panel that she and Kym shared their own stories with each other as they filmed.
"I'd been through that experience, but I'd kept it to myself and hadn't spoken about it before that storyline came up," Jane said.
Jane said working with Kym on the heart-wrenching scenes strengthened the bond between the pair.
"Kym and I had never really worked together before, but we knew what we'd be going through as we'd both had those experiences," explained Jane.
"In a way it helped me because I'd never talked about it before. It was like therapy", she said.
"Kym was very supportive, even though she'd been through that sad experience herself."
Previously, Jane said that she had found it difficult filming her own pregnancy scenes in the Street because of her miscarriage, telling reporters last year: "I kind of feel in a good place to say it, but I actually did lose a baby a couple of years ago. So [Leanne's pregnancy] does make me quite sad."
Goodness - it's just as emotional off set as on, isn't it? But obviously testament to the Corrie scriptwriters reflecting real life and giving people the motivation to share their own experiences - which can only be a good thing, right?
Pic: Jane Danson/Twitter
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