Millie Gibson says that filming her character Kelly Neelan’s exit from Coronation Street has been an incredibly emotional experience for her.
Kelly is set to find out that her guardian Gary Windass (Mikey North) is the true killer of her father Rick (Greg Wood). This paves the way for a shocking showdown between the pair, which begins with Kelly plotting Gary’s murder and culminates with the pair on a rooftop.
Whether Kelly is successful in her revenge remains to be seen, but behind the scenes, Gibson reveals that there have been plenty of tears.
“I’ve been a wreck! If you ask anyone, there was a good two weeks where I was just crying constantly. I think I was just so overwhelmed and so grateful of the scenes and the storyline that had been given to me,” she reveals.
The star adds that there’s a particularly memorable on-screen moment on the way.
“There was a specific scene that sticks out to me where basically, throughout mine and Gary’s relationship, we’ve never hugged. We’ve always been like, ‘Why’ve you never hugged me? Even when I’m breaking down in a basement, you’ve never hugged me!’
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“But there was a scene where Gary hugs Kelly, and it’s a really simple scene. As soon as we did it, I just burst out crying. It was just like, ‘It’s the beginning of the end now!’
“I think when we started filming our last scenes of being nice to each other, that’s when we were like, ‘Oh, gosh, this is getting real now!’ It’s been an emotional journey.”
Asked if there wasn’t as much acting required in these sad scenes, Gibson says: “No, not really!” She also adds that working with co-star Mikey North, who plays Gary, has been a highlight.
“It’s so beautiful, our relationship on and off-screen,” she explains. “It’s just been really emotional thinking [that] we’re never going to act together again. [On] mine and Mikey’s last scene, I could not stop [crying] – I’ve never cried on a film set more, even on the line run.
“It’s like a seven page scene with just me and Mikey, and I was like, ‘I’m going have to try and save this’, but it was so hard. But I’m so excited to see it because it’s a really good scene. It kind of wraps it all up, but it’s really sad!”
As revealed by Coronation Street’s Executive Producer Iain MacLeod, Kelly’s exit has been filmed using new technology – and Gibson is full of excitement and praise for the whole team.
She says: “It’s been incredible; I can’t tell you how insane the set’s been. The first day I stepped onto the volume wall I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re in Hollywood!’ It was just incredible.
“It was really long days and I [was] exhausted, but the cast and crew and producers, they’ve all been so, so amazing and I don’t know what I could have done without them. We’ve had the best crew on this journey, and just acting around a digital wall has been crazy!”
Tune in to Coronation Street next week to see how Kelly will be leaving the cobbles.
Read more:
- When does Kelly leave Coronation Street? Millie Gibson exit explained
- Coronation Street’s Mikey North teases Gary’s rooftop drama
- Coronation Street boss teases Kelly’s exit as “cataclysmic explosion”
Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
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