CORONATION Street icon Sue Devaney was reportedly furious when she discovered she had been murdered.
Debbie Webster, played by Sue for 40 years, is to die in a long-running new health storyline set to take center stage in the 2025 ITV soap.
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Corriena Debbie Webster was written from the soap Credit: ITV
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Debbie appears on the cobbles for four decades Credit: ITV
Kevin Webster’s sister will be diagnosed with dementia in harrowing upcoming scenes.
News of her passing appears to have left the actress stunned, with a source telling The Sun: “Sue was very shocked to find out she had been killed.
“At first she was very sad, then angry and then upset again. It took her a long time to come to terms with it.
“She had no intention of leaving the show and couldn’t believe it when they called her and broke the news.”
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The insider added: “Sue is a consummate professional and is already putting her all into what she sees as a hugely important long-running story.
“She has seen the positive impact of her MND story and hopes her dementia story can have the same effect and raise awareness of the condition.”
Debbie first joined the cast in 1984 at the age of 15, but only stayed for a year.
Actress Sue then reprized the role in 2019 and has remained on the show ever since.
She has become a perennial fan favorite over the past few years, with many heralding her as one of the biggest characters in comedy in recent years.
She is best known for being the owner of the Charriott Square Hotel and for her association with evil businessman Ray Crosby and his once planned takeover of the entire street.
Watch Helen Worth tear up as she leaves Coronation Street as the cast share an inside look at her final day on set
Sue has made no secret of how much she loves the job, and in 2021 she told The Sun: “I absolutely love playing her.
“When I first came back, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be here for so long and I’m delighted.
“Every day when I drive to work, I have a big smile on my face. I’m so happy to be here.
“When I get to work with new people that I haven’t worked with before, and that I’ve seen on screen, I’m very excited.
“She’s so much fun to play.”
News of Sue’s shock departure comes as budget cuts to soaps have meant bosses have been forced to make tough decisions about the cast.
Stars are becoming increasingly concerned about paying their mortgages as permanent contracts are now rare.
A source said: “The Corrie cast is huge and some don’t get enough episodes.
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Actress Sue Devaney is devastated by the decision Credit: Alamy
Is it aging or dementia?
Dementia – the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s disease – comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms may become more severe.
But at first, symptoms may be subtle or may be mistaken for normal memory problems associated with aging.
The US National Institute on Aging provides some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age and dementia.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an elderly person to forget a word to use from time to time, but difficulty in carrying on a conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “As humans quite often we put our car keys in unusual places and it takes us longer to find them.
“As you get older, you need more time to remember, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where did I stop? What distracted me? Did I have to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
“That information retrieval process is just a little slower in people as they get older.
“In dementia, someone may not be able to remember that information and what they were doing when they entered the house.
“It could also happen that they could put him somewhere where he really doesn’t belong. For example, instead of putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”
“The few paid per episode are struggling to pay their mortgages and have to supplement their income with personal appearances and Instagram ads.”
They continued: “Many cast members now have a ‘guest contract’ like Maureen Lipman and Kate Ford.
“These are short-term, so I can come and go and take longer breaks.
“The cast has been told they cannot guarantee any contracts beyond the end of 2025.
“The bosses are trying to use a much younger cast that has less money to make the episodes cheaper to make.”
Coronation Street Christmas and New Year schedule
ITVX will not be hosting early episodes for several days, but soap bosses are yet to confirm which dates will not have an early release
Monday 23 December – 8pm ITV1 & ITVX
Tuesday 24th December – 8.45pm ITV1 & ITVX
Christmas Day – 7pm ITV1 & ITVX
Boxing Day – no episode
Friday 27th December – 8pm ITV1 & ITVX
Monday 30 December – 8pm ITV1 & ITVX
Tuesday 31 December – 8.15pm ITV1 & ITVX
New Years – 7pm ITV1 & ITVX
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Source: HIS Education