Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien has indicated that her character Sarah Platt may be leaving the soap after killing Theo Silverton. In a recent interview, O'Brien discussed the shocking twist, revealing that Sarah killed Theo in self-defence and has been covering it up with the help of Gary Windass.
Sarah's deadly encounter
After receiving a suspicious text from Todd Grimshaw's phone, Sarah went to investigate and encountered Theo. The confrontation escalated when Theo threatened her, referencing Sarah and Todd's son Billy, who died as a teenager. Feeling trapped, Sarah grabbed a metal pipe and struck Theo, killing him. 'I think in that moment, as far as she was concerned, it was do or die,' O'Brien explained.
Cover-up and guilt
Sarah immediately called Gary for help, not her police officer boyfriend Kit Green, because 'she thought I can't call Kit because of his job in the police.' Gary instructed her to wash her hands and create an alibi. Sarah later suffered a brutal assault by Jodie Ramsey, which provided her alibi. However, the guilt weighs heavily on her. 'It's just constant guilt, guilt that she didn't just call the police when it happened, guilt that Kit thinks it's Gary,' O'Brien said.
Potential exit from the cobbles
O'Brien acknowledged that Sarah's actions could lead to her exit. 'Absolutely, she could be going to prison,' she said. 'But to cover it up, to actively cover something up, she knows that she crossed a line that she can't come back from.' She added, 'At the end of the day this job is incredible, but to be an actor is not necessarily a job for life. So, I just was really excited to be given the honour of being the murderer, and then hopefully, however it plays out, I'll enjoy Sarah's arc.'
Impact on relationships
Sarah's relationship with Kit is strained by her guilt. 'She feels like she's ruined her chance with Kit, because if he knows what she's done, he might not want her anymore,' O'Brien noted. Her friendship with Todd is also complicated. 'Does she regret doing what she did? I actually don't think she does,' she said. 'I think she felt so threatened that she would [do it again], it was self preservation.'
O'Brien's experience filming the murder
O'Brien praised the stunt scenes, saying, 'I really enjoyed delivering that final push. James [Cartwright, who played Theo] was such a lovely guy to work with, but when he was acting, filming those scenes, it was intimidating and scary.' She added, 'It felt really good, especially knowing what he'd done to Todd.'
