Coronation Street star Sue Devaney has confirmed that Debbie Webster will still be on our screens for some time yet, following her dementia diagnosis.
Viewers first noticed that something was wrong when Debbie began forgetting dates and muddling up appointments.
Things got more serious when she began to suffer random blackouts.
The character saw a doctor about her symptoms earlier this year and was informed that she had young-onset dementia.
The show icon was understandably shaken by the news, and chose to keep it a secret from her family for a number of weeks.
‘She wants to keep it to herself for as long as possible,’ actress Sue Devaney explained on Lorraine.
‘She’s going, “I’ve been diagnosed with this, so how am I going to cope with it? I’ll find out how I cope with it and then I’ll tell my family.” She’s gone about it that way.’
Debbie has been so determined to keep her secret that she even went so far as to dump boyfriend Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan), as she didn’t want him to end up caring for her.
In upcoming scenes, Debbie will finally reveal all as her storyline continues.
Though fans were worried that Debbie would be killed off in the coming months, Sue has set minds at rest by confirming that this isn’t the case at all.
Speaking to Lorraine, she said: ‘We wanted to do the diagnosis and get that sorted and then do the journey of living with dementia…
‘She’s not going anywhere yet! I know the story is going to go on well into 2027, so Debbie’s not going anywhere.’
The actress also teased the possibility of Debbie starting a choir as the ITV soap explores how she lives with the condition.
