Coronation Street fans were in for a shock on Boxing Day when it was revealed that Jenny hit Liz with her car while out drinking, and quickly took to social media to discuss - particularly when Jenny's husband Johnny took to fall for her. Speaking to HELLO! about the surprising Boxing Day events, Johnny actor Richard Hawley explained: "[Johnny] is [Jenny's] hero, I think. He’s got to - that’s how it feels because she doesn’t stand a chance with her drink issues and so on… I just think he’s honourable really. I’ve tried a little bit to think if I’d do the same, and I would. I just think he does because that’s what you do. He’s protective."
Richard opened up about Johnny's reaction
Richard added that he thinks Johnny blames himself for Jenny's actions, adding: "He takes responsibility for it, for sure. Yes, actually, because he knows she's in this state because of what he did. But. He can’t help what he did - that’s gone, we’ve all tried and moved on from it but that is why she is like she is." Speaking about Johnny's reaction when he finds out what Jenny has been doing to Liz, he added: "I mean, there’s an awful lot of stuff going on around him - kind of various mayhems and madnesses and there is this horrible realisation that it does all slightly lead back to Jenny, but I’m think that there’s an incredibly protective element in their relationship. I don’t think it’s from guilt. It’s taken a real wobble over this whole year has that relationship, and I feel that actually they are very… out of this comes a whole load of truth. It’s only born of love, isn’t it? Her stuff is only born of a kind of love."
READ: Much-loved Coronation Street actor returns after serious health scare
Speaking about his relationship with Liz following the episode's events, he said: "He worries about Liz a lot. I have to say unfortunately in this, Liz becomes perhaps a casualty of the whole thing. I constantly feel this with Liz because it was tough, the mistake, the relationship with Liz belongs to both of them, belongs to a time, belongs to a certain context of events but in the end someone has to go. These are two women who are frankly at war with each other and I’ve got to go with one or the other of them, so I think he's quite hard on Liz."
READ: Bev Callard hints at Coronation Street character’s shock return