🔥 No One Saw This Coming: Coronation Street Icon Sue Devaney Shocks Fans
Coronation Street’s Debbie Webster star Sue Devaney(Image: Handout)
Coronation Street star Sue Devaney surprised a group of loyal fans who put her and her latest storyline at the centre of a recent heartfelt gesture.
Earlier this month, the team behind Conversation Street, the long-running Coronation Street podcast, set up the very first ‘Soap Week’.
The fan-led celebration of everything we love about soap operas, from Coronation Street and EastEnders to Neighbours, Emmerdale, and more, had a different theme each day. Fans were encouraged to share and join in online using #SoapWeek.
The event racked up an incredible 5.6 million views across platforms, with over 25,000 likes and plenty of love from some of our favourite soap stars.
As well as fans, Corrie favourites Sally Carman-Duttine, Todd Boyce, Samia Longchambon, Georgia Taylor, Claire Sweeney, Vinta Morgan, and former soap star Hayley Tamaddon all took part by sharing stories and memories from their careers.
Sharing why they wanted to create the week dedicated to all things soap, Gemma from Conversation Street told the Manchester Evening News: “I originally wanted to create the week because I’ve always liked the idea of unusual days like International Muffin Day or International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
“I was always surprised that there wasn’t a day for soap operas, so I thought – I could just make one. Then I put it off for years, until deciding it was now or never. And what’s better than having a day to celebrate soaps? Having a whole week! And I thought the perfect time to hold it would be during the week of Corrie creator Tony Warren’s birthday.”
And the response was more than she could have hoped for. “I was bowled over by the response to International Soap Week – not only soap stars themselves getting involved, but also other podcasts, fan accounts, and soap watchers across so many different social media platforms,” she said.
“I loved learning about soap fans’ favourite moments from over the years, and I now even have a collection of Emmerdale cookbooks despite only ever watching a handful of episodes!
“We had such a great time sharing memories and our favourite moments, characters, quotes, and even memorabilia from soaps, and it was genuinely moving to hear stories about how some stories have affected viewers. We’re very excited to hold Soap Week again next year between 6-12 July!”
The group raised money for Dementia UK having been inspired by Debbie Webster’s story(Image: Handout)
One of the week’s standout moments was the Soap Week Walk, a special fundraiser that took us from Coronation Street’s original Quay Street set to its current home in Media City.
A team of 17 participants raised £1,559.59 – plus £286.75 in Gift Aid- for Dementia UK – a cause they chose in recognition of Debbie Webster’s ongoing vascular dementia storyline in Corrie.
As a surprise for the walkers, Sue Devaney, who plays Debbie, sent over a heartfelt video message of support ahead of them setting off.
In the clip, she said: “Good luck everyone who is on the walk for the Webster’s for Soap Week. I’ll be thinking of you all and thank you so much for raising so much money for Dementia UK. Put your factor 50 on, it’s going to be a scorcher! Good Luck!”
Toyah Battersby star Toyah was there at the finish line to greet the group – creating a moment the participating fans will never forget. The walk was led by the brilliant team behind Corriepedia, who guided those taking part past classic filming locations and even the site that first inspired the show.!
