Paul has spared her from the truth before her big day.
Dolly-Rose Campbell has shared how she thinks her Coronation Street alter ego, Gemma Winter, will react to the heartbreaking revelation that her brother Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
Paul has been keeping his illness a secret, wanting to shield Gemma and their loved ones from the distress ahead of her upcoming wedding to Chesney Brown (Sam Aston). But as Paul’s symptoms grow more and more noticeable, it can surely only be a matter of weeks before Gemma finds out.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about how Gemma may cope, Campbell explains: “Obviously, she’s going to be completely devastated, because Paul’s been there her whole life. They’re not just brother and sister, they’re twins; so they’ve been together their whole lives.
“I think her approach would be to stay strong, they are a bit of an ‘out there’ family, but at the heart they do love each other and stick together, and they want what’s best for each other. So I’m sure they will, they’ll look after him in their way.”
Before the wedding, Gemma and Paul have an almighty falling-out, putting their bond at risk. “In the build-up to the wedding, Paul becomes quite distant, quite moody. Gemma can’t understand why he’s acting like that, and why he isn’t as excited as she is.
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“It gets to a point where he blows up at her and tells her that nobody cares about the wedding, and he’s sick of her and he’s sick of the wedding. And it really, really hurts her feelings because it’s something she’s looked forward to for years and years. So she’s quite angry at him and tells him not to bother coming.”
Asked if wedding fever is the reason that Gemma hasn’t noticed that Paul is suffering, or whether the chaos of life is responsible, the actress says: “I think it’s a bit of both. Paul’s very stubborn, and he wants everything to be his way. He doesn’t want to be seen as weak, he doesn’t want to offload it all on the family. So he is doing a good job of hiding it.
“But on top of that, Gemma’s life is so hectic with her family, and her work, and all her worries, that I don’t think it is just the wedding as to why she wouldn’t notice. Her life in general is so busy, so noticing even things right in front of her she probably struggles with.”
We’ll have to wait and see whether Paul and Gemma can make amends in time for the nuptials, but nevertheless, there’s a wedding to prepare for. And Campbell reveals the inspiration behind her character’s dress.
“I had big, big ideas for what I wanted for Gemma’s dress, and discussing it with the costume department, the thing that kept coming up was ‘where are we gonna get something like that from?’ And I knew of this designer, Liquorice Black [a drag queen who has worked on Ru Paul’s Drag Race].
“I was just blown away by the dress. It’s an absolute work of art, the detail that’s gone into it, it’s just beyond anything I ever imagined. It was comfortable; it actually was, compared to a lot of Gemma’s other costumes, because it was made to fit me from scratch.”
For information and support on all aspects of motor neurone disease, visit the MND Association’s website or call the charity on 0808 802 6262.
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