UPDATE: |Coronation Street Abi Webster star teases ‘it’s exciting’ in ‘irresistible’ scandal News

The actress is expecting her character to face some tough decisions with the arrival of Kevin’s brother

Coronation Street star Sally Carman-Duttine has teased that she finds it “exciting” for her character Abi Webster as “irresistible” newcomer Carl Webster joins the cobbles.

The 43-year-old actress joined the ITV soap in 2017 originally as a guest stint, but was invited back to be a full-time cast member in 2018.

In 2021, Sally was nominated for the National Television Award for Best Serial Drama Performance – which was instead won by Mollie Gallagher. She did, however, win Best Actress in the Inside Soap awards that same year.

It was that year that the heartbreaking storyline was aired that saw her son Seb Franklin die in a brutal attack after an unprovoked hate crime assault on him and his girlfriend, Nina Lucas.

During recent episodes, Abi has been struggling with vivid flashbacks of Seb covered in blood from the attack. These visions increased after she witnessed the stabbing of Mason Radcliffe.

Upon her arrival in Weatherfield, Abi found love with her friend Sally’s ex-husband, Kevin Webster. The pair live together with Kevin’s son Jack and Abi’s son Alfie.

In recent episodes, Kevin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has since been undergoing chemotherapy after having a major operation.

Viewers have watched as the couple have struggled to see eye to eye, with Kevin lashing out at everyone he loves and even telling Abi that her addiction was “self-inflicted”.

There seems to be more drama on the horizon for the pair, as Kevin’s brother Carl decides to pay a visit. With their marriage already under strain, Abi takes a shine to Carl.

Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Sally said: “Kevin’s pushing Abi away because of his illness. He’s trying to fight it in his own way, and he’s scared. In his fear, he’s secluding himself a little bit and that’s quite hard for Abi.

“She has her own stuff she’s dealing with, and you kick off to the people you’re close to a lot of the time. That’s Abi. She’s been struggling for a long time so this guy coming in who just adores her, and has awoken this life in her, she finds irresistible. It’s going to be hard for Abi to fight this…”

The star admits she is unsure whether she wants Abi to give into temptation with Carl or opt for safety and security with Kevin. She shared: “I can’t call it! I don’t know. I love working with Michael Le Vell. I love him to bits, but this is exciting for Abi, so we’ll have to see…”

When asked what it’s like playing the unpredictable role of Abi, Sally confessed: “I love it because she just implodes all the time, and the consequences are devastating. I’ve been so lucky to play all those different elements of her.

“Certainly, with the Seb storyline (when her son was murdered in a hate crime attack), I’ve loved that. But that is the other element where it’s just dangerous and I’m so lucky to be able to play all these different things.”

Meanwhile, Sally praised Jonathan (Carl Webster) for “fitting in really well” with the Webster family on the cobbles. She said of her co-star: “He’s fitted in really well. He’s a really nice guy and a really good actor. You can’t ask for more than that. He fits in well, he’s easy-going and he’s a team player.

“The Websters is just a brilliant place to work, the group that we have at the minute are like the gold ticket – I reckon it’s the perfect job.”