Coronation Street star confirms sex abuser Megan’s ‘wicked’ act will have life-changing consequences
Sex-abuser Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) has got the entire Driscoll family fooled in Coronation Street, but her actions will have ‘life-changing’ consequences for everyone.
The Driscolls have opened their arms to sports coach Megan, unaware that she has been grooming teen son Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale).
After the family’s move to Weatherfield, Will ran away more than once to reunite with Megan, leaving Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) tearing their hair out.
Eventually, they realised that the only way they would get Will to stay put would be to pay Megan to travel from Hull to Manchester to train him.
It is one of the only times that Eva and Maggie Driscoll (Pauline McLynn) have agreed on anything, with the pair teaming up to stop Ben allowing Will to move back to Hull.
‘[Maggie’s] one of those very fierce women who’s fiercely protective of the family,’ actress Pauline McLynn said. ‘And that’s even within the family group.
Eva, Ben, Will and Maggie welcome Megan into the pub back room in Corrie
Megan has the Driscoll family fooled (Picture: ITV)
‘Obviously, she just doesn’t really approve of Eva. She may like her, and if Ben wasn’t around, I’m sure they’d get on really well. But it’s that thing of, you can approve of somebody until they’re joining your family; then it’s a whole other set of restrictions that need to be put in place.’
Since Megan accepted Maggie and Eva’s offer, she and Will have been sharing clandestine meetings, and the family still have no idea about their relationship – even usually perceptive Maggie.
‘She has a particular blind spot when it comes to the youngest grandchild, Will,’ Pauline explained. ‘I suppose it’s such an unexpected thing to happen in any family that I think that’s why nobody has found out.
‘They’ll be completely blindsided, because it’s the sort of wicked thing that you really don’t expect.
‘Also, Megan is a consummate liar and manipulator. Beth, who plays her, describes her as a dangerous narcissist and very, very clever at manipulating people. Because she looks so innocent and young herself, there’s no way anyone is seeing anything glaring, if it’s there at all.
Megan and Will speak to Daniel in the shop in Corrie
Megan has been continuing to see Will Driscoll (Picture: ITV)
‘They’ve had some near misses. When the truth comes out I honestly think it’s going to be life-changing for everyone.’
It seems as though the truth may be set to come out sooner rather than later, as another character begins to grow suspicious of Will and Megan’s relationship.
In a bid to cover her tracks, Megan is set to accept a date from Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), which doesn’t go down well with Will – especially when Megan is offered a job at Weatherfield High and Daniel kisses her on the lips in celebration.
In the week that follows, Eva makes Will apologise to Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) for trying to kiss her, but Lauren insists it is water under the bridge.
However, when she later spots Will in the precinct with Megan, apologising for the kiss, she is left feeling uneasy. Could she be on to Megan?
Megan and Daniel sitting opposite each other over a table in the Rovers while Will watches from behind the bar in Corrie
Megan makes moves with Daniel Osbourne (Picture: ITV)
If the truth comes out, we can only imagine that Megan would face Maggie’s wrath, with Pauline having insisted that she is big on ‘protecting her boys’.
‘Right from the beginning, we know that that’s been a huge thing for her, and that’s why she’s so fierce. She’s terrifying when she’s like that. You’d be a fool not to be terrified of her, I think.’
In upcoming scenes, we are set to see a flashback to Maggie’s former years and the events that shaped the woman she is today, including her protective nature.