Gary Windass’ killer secret has reached his victim’s estranged wife earlier this year and it’s now set to reach his daughter as Kelly Neelan discovers what really happened to her dad, Rick.
Mikey North, who has played Gary in Coronation Street for 15 years, has joked his character is like a 'cat with nine lives' but things look set to change when he’s forced to dig his own grave as he retraces the steps of his horror crime three years ago.
As viewers know, Kelly and Aadi Alahan’s fake romance to win a free holiday in a ‘win a wedding competition led to the teens discovering their true feelings for each other. However, when Aad’s dad Dev and Kelly’s guardians Gary and wife Maria Windass failed to approve, the pair hatched a plan to elope to Gretna Green.
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And in a bid to win Dev, Maria, and Gary round and prove how serious they are, they decide to throw an engagement party. But Kelly’s dad’s former sidekick Sharon is horrified when she hears that Gary will be the one to give Kelly away on her big day, meanwhile, Kelly finds dated photos on her mum’s old camera that prove she couldn’t have been the one that murdered Rick after all, despite her confession in her dying days to cover for Gary.
After Kelly confronts Gary with no success, Sharon breaks the news to Kelly that Gary was the one who killed her dad. Furious to find out her dad’s killer has been right under her nose, and that he let her mum take the blame leading her to miss out on a chance to say a final goodbye, Kelly dreams of revenge. Drawn into his dodgy underworld following her own kidnap, Kelly seizes the opportunity to pay a hitman to kill Gary - and chooses Kieron, the man who just a few months ago had her held captive in a cellar.
But as Gary faces paying the ultimate price for his sins, Corrie viewers will be left wondering whether Kelly call off the hit. And as we’ve often seen with Kelly, does she really know who she’s got herself involved with as by the end of the week her own life hangs by a thread.
During a special week of Corrie episodes, Gary will be forced to face his past as he retraces the steps of that fateful night he killed Rick in self defence after he threatened his entire family - including then-girlfriend Sarah Barlow and her daughter, Bethany. While there, he is forced to dig his own grave potentially leading to his own demise.
"I think he’s always tried to be one step ahead,” Mikey told the Manchester Evening News and other press as he discussed Gary getting away with murder and the truth that’s about to come out. “He’s got himself out of many a sticky situation over the years. I always say he’s like a cat with nine lives. And this is getting pretty drastic now.
“The crux of it is, when it’s his life at stake, he knew it would always end like this. But when he finds out Kelly’s involved, he is willing to die for that girl and that’s the start of this story and this is what plays out. But I think he feels more fear when it comes to other people being in danger as opposed to himself.”
He added: “There’s this protective side to him, he wants to look after his family. Hopefully, that is the redeeming quality of the character and how he can progress going forward – if he makes it."
But as already teased, both Gary and Kelly face their ends and Mikey shares just what Gary is willing to do for the girl that has become like a daughter for him. The soap star continued: "When they’re up on the roof, he will happily go off that roof for that girl. He genuinely would jump off if it meant saving her.
"That is his main aim – whether he dies or not is of no consequence to him. He’s just looking to save Kelly, and that’s how things play out." And the scenes are set to be nothing short of dramatic as Corrie’s producer, Iain MacLeod, previously told us: “It’s really brilliant tying up slash [putting a] full stop on that story that began with that desperate act from Gary all those years ago. Finding ourselves in a position where we’re exiting Kelly it’s kind of now or never,”
Iain commented as he revealed they’ve toyed numerous times with blowing Gary’s secret. “We’ve gone for broke with it really.” Corrie has gone all out for the scenes, heading out to RecodeXR Studio in Trafford Park to film with special equipment used for mega movies like Avengers and Disney+ series The Mandalorian. And Iain believes they are the first soap opera to use the incredible technology.
For Mikey, this is an actor in his element. "For me personally, there are a lot of stunts in there which I always enjoy doing,” he said. “There’s a little bit of fighting and anger but there’s also a lot of sad. It’s showing every side to all of the characters." Teasing the upcoming scenes, he added: "It felt more like doing live theatre than TV. I loved it. We had stunts in the woods. There’s a fight with a shovel that ties in with all the Rick stuff. It’s not one that I’ll forget in a hurry, I’ve loved every bit of it."
But did Gary really think he could keep his killer secret forever? “No, I think it was inevitable that this is the way it would end,” Mikey admitted. “I’m just really happy that its come full circle and we’re ending up where we began. I can still remember Kelly coming into the loan shark’s office four years ago as a little school girl. Now, four years on, here we are back to where it all started. It’s been a real pleasure.”
Millie Gibson’s exit as Kelly has already been confirmed but whether it is her or Gary - or both - who survives remains to be seen. Mikey, however, was quick to recall his first scenes with Millie. “I remember her coming into the loan shark’s office and her saying, ‘Where’s my dad?’ I think that was her first line.It feels like yesterday. Four years on, I can’t believe it.”
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