Coronation Street will tackle the difficult subject of late miscarriages on its show in January after Michelle Connor, played by Kym Marsh, will lose her unborn baby at 23 weeks.
Kym, who has gone through a similar experience after losing her son Archie in 2009 after giving birth 18 weeks early, decided to be involved in the storyline to raise awareness on the issues surrounding late miscarriage, and the soap has worked closely with Stillbirth and Neonatal death charity Sands for the episode. Speaking about the storyline, the star said: "I thought long and hard before agreeing to take on the challenge of this storyline. It is obviously a cause very close to my heart having lost my beautiful Archie at 21 weeks and 5 days. I discussed it with my family and friends, all of who were very supportive. In the end I felt it was an important story to tell in order to raise awareness of something which affects thousands of women every year."
Kym opened up about taking on the role
Following the loss of their unborn baby in the show, viewers will see how Michelle and Steve struggle to cope with the loss of their son, Ruairi, and how it affects both the parents and the entire extended family. Speaking about filming the difficult scenes, Kym said: "I have had to go to some very dark places in my mind whilst filming these heartbreaking scenes but my family, friends and colleagues have been incredible. Losing a child is something that never leaves you so to revisit those feelings as Michelle has been challenging. Coronation Street ensured that I had a counsellor on set at all times to go to after filming the scenes but for me the best tonic after a hugely emotional day was to go home to my kids and be reminded of how lucky I am to have them. I am very proud of what we have done with this storyline and I hope it helps raise awareness and helps people to talk about their own experiences."