Coronation Street\u2019s Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) is set to open up about a recent attempt to take her own life.<\/p>\n
The ITV soap will explore mental health and loneliness in older people<\/a> as Audrey\u2019s storyline takes a distressing turn, as she reveals the secret to her close friends.<\/p>\n Viewers have seen Audrey\u2019s situation hinted at in recent weeks, as she hid another hospital stay from her family<\/a>. A doctor and counsellor spoke to her about the quantity of sleeping tablets she had taken, knowing that it was likely she had been trying to end her life. But Audrey claimed she simply made an accidental error and miscounted her dose.<\/p>\n Now Coronation Street<\/a> will revisit this development, as this week she repeats her lies to her GP, insisting all is well. However, in an episode airing next week, Audrey will be seen confiding in pals Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox) and Ken Barlow (William Roache) that she tried to take her own life.<\/p>\n Ken and Rita will be left stunned as they come to terms with the fact that they hadn\u2019t seen the signs in their friend. They ask Audrey what caused her to make this decision, and she confesses her loneliness, missing late husband Alfie and turning to alcohol as her eyesight has worsened. She adds that she hasn\u2019t told her daughter Gail (Helen Worth) or extended family.<\/p>\n \u201cI just seemed to spiral downwards,\u201d Audrey will be seen telling them. \u201cI\u2019d toss and turn all night, then finally drop off just when I should be up and at \u2019em. Seizing the day. Huh! Spend the afternoons on the sauvignon blanc, wondering exactly what I\u2019m good for?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Speaking about Audrey\u2019s turmoil, actress Nicholls said: \u201cAudrey is very sorry for what she has done and certainly her first reaction was to keep it from her family. Family do, and will always, mean so much to her despite the sniping now and again.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe also enjoys and is grateful for being independent and living happily in her own home although the one big regret that has contributed to this latest situation is a wish that dear Alfie was still alive and there with her so that they could have grown old and equally doddery together.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHer family, busy with their own lives, see her down and upset moments as her not being able to cope with the real world and she feels they have started treating her a bit like a child and she started to feel depressed. She is mostly very healthy and together but her depression seemed to take over totally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Revealing the turning point in her character\u2019s story, Nicholls added: \u201cOnce she was able to speak with her friends, and they then opened up about their struggles, she realised how much they had helped her immensely regarding her problems. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDr Gaddas prescribed her antidepressants but yet again her stubbornness kicks in and she doesn\u2019t take them. Luckily, talking to her long-standing friends, they persuade her to take the doctor\u2019s advice and she thanks them sincerely for making life seem lighter in every way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The star is keen to raise awareness ahead of these episodes airing. \u201cNow that is the message that I want people to take away from this storyline, the importance of being able to talk to people you trust about how you feel. Sometimes the young generation might think that anyone over 70 isn\u2019t capable of making decisions which in turn can make older people lose their sense of purpose and begin to feel quite useless.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am lucky enough to work with people of every age. I have no idea how old many of them are nor do I need to know. I enjoy speaking with them and taking on board what they say about issues we discuss irrespective of what age we all are. So I\u2019d like to say \u2018Listen Audrey, I\u2019m still learning about life at 79 and I truly hope to continue\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do hope this storyline helps older people reach out and start talking about how they feel and for younger people to be aware of how much the older generation still has to offer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Coronation Street is broadcasting Audrey\u2019s plight to coincide with ITV\u2019s Britain Get Talking initiative. Britain Get Talking is a mental health scheme designed to encourage us to connect with others about our mental health, with a focus on anxiety in young people.<\/p>\n The initiative was first launched in 2019, and since then Britain Get Talking has led to over 100 million new and meaningful conversations among audiences.<\/p>\n Jacqui Morrissey, Assistant Director of Research and Influencing at Samaritans,<\/span> said: \u201cThe reasons for suicide are complex and very rarely down to one issue, which Audrey\u2019s story has really captured. Our listening volunteers hear lots of mentions of loneliness and isolation, which can affect anyone at any time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs the last few years have been incredibly challenging, many Coronation Street\u00a0 fans may have found themselves struggling at times, so it\u2019s crucial that people remember support is available, and feel able to reach out if they are finding life difficult.<\/span><\/p> \u201cTalking about the problems you\u2019re facing can make a massive difference, whether that\u2019s with a close friend, family member or support line. Samaritans can be contacted 24\/7, free, on 116 123, email <\/span>jo@samaritans.org<\/span> or visit<\/span> \u00a0www.samaritans.org<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said<\/span>: \u201cThis heart-breaking storyline carries <\/span>an important message for all those Coronation Street viewers who are facing similar <\/span>struggles to Audrey, and indeed for their families and friends too. Audrey may be a fictional <\/span>character, but sadly we know that her situation is reflected in the real-life difficulties a fair <\/span>few people go through as they get older.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAge UK is here too with our free and confidential Advice Line, open <\/span>365 days a year, which provides friendly and expert guidance on the issues affecting older <\/span>people including managing finances, health\u00a0 conditions and loneliness. We also have our <\/span>Telephone Friendship Service, described as a lifeline by many, which provides older people <\/span>who are feeling lonely with a regular chat over the phone with one of our trained <\/span>volunteers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who needs support, is worried about an older relative or friend, or wants to find <\/span>out more about Age UK\u2019s services can get in touch by calling Age UK Advice free of charge <\/span>on 0800 169 6565 (8am-7pm), or they can visit www.ageuk.org.uk. Any older person looking <\/span>for a cheerful chat can call our subsidiary charity, The Silver Line free, day or night, on 0800 <\/span>4 70 80 90.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSince the pandemic Age UK has been inundated with requests for our Telephone <\/span>Friendship Service and we need volunteers now more than ever before. Volunteering for the <\/span>service is a safe and easy way to gain a new friend while at the same time making a huge a <\/span>difference to an older person\u2019s life. To register, v<\/span>isit: https:\/\/friendship.ageuk.org.uk\/<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The Samaritans are available 24\/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email\u00a0jo@samaritans.org<\/a>\u00a0or head to the\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0to find your nearest branch.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our dedicated\u00a0<\/strong>Coronation<\/strong>\u00a0Street<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0page\u00a0<\/strong>for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you\u2019re looking for more to watch check out our\u00a0<\/strong>TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n The character opens up in upcoming scenes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19877,"template":"","categories":[2,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-scaled.jpg",2560,1440,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-1024x576.jpg",800,450,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-1536x864.jpg",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/08\/coronation-streets-audrey-roberts-to-reveal-suicide-attempt-2048x1152.jpg",2048,1152,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The character opens up in upcoming scenes.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/19876"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/coronation-street-audrey-roberts-birthday-7ede6fc.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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