CHARLIE CONDOU - No.1051

INTERVIEW

Coronation Street: Samia Ghadie says of Maria Connor, “She’s about to be in a dark and scary place mentally!” 

It’s been a tough few weeks for Maria Connor since she found out that her boyfriend Marcus Dent (Charlie Condou) was having an affair with Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley).

 And it was all made worse for Maria when her friend Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) confessed that she’d suspected something was going on between Marcus and Todd…

However, in upcoming episodes, when Maria learns that Kirsty has been released from prison, and Fiz’s boyfriend Tyrone turns to Maria for support, she thinks he has feelings for her, and it sets off a chain of events that demonstrates how fragile Maria is.

Samia Ghadie, who plays Maria, has been talking to ITV about the drama that’s ahead for Maria…

Maria’s not coping at all well with Marcus’s betrayal, is she?

Maria’s devastated. Her whole world seems to have fallen apart around her. The man she loved and trusted has completely betrayed her, and she’s feeling very vulnerable.

I also think she feels stupid because everyone warned her not to get close to Marcus, but she really thought that he loved her and that they could make it work. The fact that they were looking at houses together like a proper family, and then to walk in on Marcus and Todd, well it just sent Maria over the edge.

Tyrone tells her Kirsty’s out of prison and he’s worried she’ll snatch Ruby… Why does Maria start worrying that Marcus will snatch Liam?

Maria’s not really thinking straight. Her head’s all over the place and she’s not acting like she normally would. When she hears Tyrone’s fears that Kirsty might snatch Ruby, well, she flips, and even though it’s completely irrational, she thinks she might try to snatch Liam too.

Did she overreact by barricading herself in the flat with Liam?

To everybody else it is an overreaction, but Maria really does believe that Liam could be in danger from Kirsty. It’s such an irrational thought, but it shows just how vulnerable Maria is right now.

Is this a symptom of Maria’s worsening mental state?

I think it’s definitely a sign that something isn’t right with Maria’s state of mind, and it’s the start of a very dark and dangerous journey for Maria.

She’s leaning heavily on Tyrone and talks about him being her first love. Does she still have feelings for him? Or is all this a reaction to what happened with Marcus?

More than anything, I think Maria wants to be loved. She sees Tyrone and Fiz together and it’s just a reminder of what she doesn’t have and of what she’s lost. I think it’s been forgotten that Fiz took Tyrone from Maria, and Maria longs for the relationship they once had.

Is she getting close to Tyrone to get back at Fiz for not telling her about her suspicions of Todd and Marcus?

No, I don’t think getting back at Fiz is crossing her mind at that point. She believes that she loves Tyrone and that he would make her happy.

She kisses Tyrone… Does she regret that?

She doesn’t regret kissing him, but she’s mortified when he pulls away from her. In her head, she thinks that because he’s comforting her, then it means he likes her more than just a friend. She’s completely delusional.

She posts a little present for Ruby through Tyrone’s letterbox by way of an apology for coming on to him. But she lets Tyrone think it’s from Kirsty! Why?

She’s genuinely mortified for trying to kiss Tyrone because he pulled away from her and wants to say sorry. She sends a text after she’s posted the toys saying sorry, but because Tyrone doesn’t have her new pay as you go number, he automatically thinks it’s from Kirsty and is terrified…When Tyrone leans on Maria for comfort and support, she feels needed and decides to let him carry on thinking it’s Kirsty.

What’s she hoping to achieve by pretending to be Kirsty and terrorising poor Tyrone?

I don’t think she sees it as terrorising him. She wants him to need her, and because Tyrone doesn’t think he can lean on Fiz, he turns to Maria for support. It’s twisted, but Maria feels wanted by Tyrone, and because of that, she finds it difficult to stop pretending to be Kirsty.

Maria’s almost caught out when David realises what’s going on. What does he say?

Maria’s really embarrassed and clearly upset when David confronts her. He realises that she’s in love with Tyrone, but urges her to tell him the truth before it’s too late. Maria actually begins to listen to him, but when Tyrone again turns to her for comfort, she just can’t help herself and sends another text.

Will she confess to Tyrone or keep on doing it?

Maria doesn’t want Tyrone to know that she’s been pretending to be Kirsty, and for now, she will continue to send the texts. It seems to be bringing her and Tyrone closer together, and it’s putting a strain on Fiz and Tyrone’s relationship. Maria knows she’s in the wrong, but she just can’t help herself.

How worried are you for Maria’s state of mind?

Maria’s clearly in a bad way mentally. She’s not herself right now, and is really struggling to cope with Marcus’ betrayal. In a way, you have to feel sorry for her because she’s so desperate to just be loved.

Tyrone is with Fiz… is there anyone else in the Street Maria could fall for? Or do you think she would be best staying single for a while?

Maria’s so fragile right now that I think it would be best if Maria took some time out to just be herself and be single. She probably thinks that having a man in her life would solve all her worries, but this is Weatherfield, and not many people live happily ever after…

After Marcus's decision to leave for London for a while to come to terms with everything that happened between him, Todd and Maria, Todd's fuming. He corners Maria in the street and and has a go at her for the way she treated Marcus and blames her for forcing him to go to London. Julie's watching on and is unimpressed with her nephew's approach and pulls him back. But what affect will Todd's words have on Maria?

the long and winding road

AN OLD SONG I'VE REMASTERED:

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - BY ELVIS COSTELLO'S FATHER [ROSS MCMANUS] A.K.A. DAY COSTELLO.

This was a No.1 hit in November 1970 in Australia and Italy. This track was released in other parts of the world but the Beatles's version got more airplay. Day Costello's english language version has never appeared on CD but Ross (Day) had a version sung in Italian which has been released on CD.