Bethany (played by Lucy Fallon) has been targeted by a 35-year-old man – Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper) – with the intention of involving her in his illicit sex ring.
Lucie (not her real name) was subjected to years of horrific treatment from her much older boyfriend, having been groomed online when she was just 10-years-old.
The man in question, in his late twenties, actually convinced Lucie that he was dying so she would meet up with him.
Now 21, she explained to the Mirror: “He was very, very abusive as soon as I met him, straight away.
“He drew me in to this fantasy idea of a relationship, and obviously when you’re young that’s what you think you want. He abused me for a very long time.”
Some of the survivor’s narratives are directly mirrored in Bethany’s storyline, under the supervision of the NSPCC.
Bethany been proposed to by Nathan, who also shared intimate photos of the teenager with his friends, both horrors that Lucie experienced herself.
She continued: “Lucy Fallon cried when I met her. She was very emotional about my story and I think it hit home for her that what she’s doing is somebody’s reality.”
Lucie added that she has been left with emotional scars from her trauma and is currently seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Her parents did not discover what had been going on until she was 17, when Lucie went to the police airing her concerns.
Frustratingly her abuser was never prosecuted due to lack of evidence.
Coronation Street continues Monday at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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