Coronation Street star Millie Gibson has lifted the lid on her final scenes on the ITV soap, as her character Kelly Neelan’s exit approaches.
The 18-year-old actress recently confirmed she is leaving after three years on the cobbles and her exit is set to involve the death of her father at the hands of Gary Windass.
Producers have been tight-lipped about Kelly’s exit, however there are reports Kelly could be killed off, which actress Millie has no given fuel to as she lifted the lid on how her dad Rick’s dodgy past catches up with her.
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, Millie said her character Kelly’s world “completely shatters” as she learns the truth of her dad’s death, after believing her late mum had been responsible.
She said: “I don't think she even knows what to do with herself. You see Kelly start to turn into Rick Neelan in that sense. It's just a completely new personality for her.
“All her morals that she's gained over the years are completely wiped from her memory and all she can think about is her dad and the way he acts and deals with situations. We see him take over her personality.”
Millie teased there is a “buildup” of the tension between her character Kelly and Gary, which she said fans can expect to be “powerful”.
However, the situation on the cobbles is set to shift again as Kelly is kidnapped in Coronation Street by her dad's ex-client Kieron, who is after the rest of Rick's money.
Kelly is left fearful for her life and at “rock bottom”, Millie said, as she underestimates the types of people her dad used to associate with.
She said: “She's tried to do what she had to do and I think in a way she's just been a bit naive. Then that's when she realises okay, I'm not my dad, I'm me, and it sort of just bites back at her.
“This poor 17 year old girl she's experienced so much in such a short amount of time, this is her final get-up.
“It had to happen. It was just the amount of time it would take to find out, that was the question.
“Now it's all come to a head, it's just been really interesting to see how it played out. I didn't expect it to happen this way.”
Millie said her character’s final scenes left her a “wreck” for weeks, saying: “I think I was just so overwhelmed and so grateful of the scenes and the storyline that had been given to me – but there's a specific scene that sticks out to me.”
She explained: “Basically throughout Kelly and Gary's relationship, we've never hugged, and we've always spoken like, ‘why have you never hugged me?’.
“But there was a scene where Gary hugs Kelly, it's a really simple scene and as soon as we did it, I just burst out crying – I'm getting choked up now.
“It was just like, God, it's the beginning of the end. I think when we started filming our last scenes of being nice to each other, that's when we were like, ‘this is getting real now’ but it's been an emotional journey.”
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
