Which is worse? Going to jail for a crime you didn’t commit… or being Carl Webster’s (Jonathan Howard) mother? As Debbie Webster faces life behind bars, Coronation Street Actress Sue Devaney reveals how it will change her character forever…

This doesn’t get said enough, but Carl Webster really is a toerag. This is a man who not only had a seedy affair with his own brother Kevin Webster’s (Michael Le Vell) missus Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine), but he’s been actively gaslighting Debbie into believing her dementia is getting worse just to use her business accounts like his own personal piggy bank.

In case that wasn’t reprehensible enough, his reckless drink-driving caused the Corriedale crash that killed Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank). Then he stuck Debbie in the driving seat and convinced her she was behind the wheel the whole time.

But it was soon revealed that Debbie had already worked out the truth, and was going to take the rap for Carl regardless. Many Corrie fans just couldn’t fathom why our brassy, sassy Deb would agree to sacrifice her freedom for her no-good brother. Then came the revelation that Debbie is secretly Carl’s mum, and suddenly her unwavering loyalty made a lot more sense. Sue Devaney offers insight on this shock revelation from her character’s backstory.

‘I think she compartmentalised it.’ Sue explains. ‘This happened such a long time ago, where she gave birth to him, and then watched him grow up, seeing his dad and Elaine bringing him up.

‘And I think in her head, she thought, ‘yeah, he is my brother.’ It’s the story that you tell yourself. She thought he was being brought up well. At the time, she was 16, 17, she couldn’t look after him. And it’s only when she was told, ‘your life has got an ending’ that, and he was there in her life, and it brings back a lot of old memories. The truth has got to come out now.’

Indeed it will. But why does Debbie feel so responsible for Carl? Everyone in her life, from her brother Kevin, her doting husband Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan), her mates, and even her solicitor Adam Barlow  (Samuel Robertson) have all begged her not to plead not guilty. But Debbie feels a sense of obligation to Carl, for not taking care of him all those years ago, and instead leaving him to be raised by the woman he thought was his mother, Elaine. But Elaine was a nasty piece of work who treated Carl poorly, prompting Debbie’s decision not to pass along a message to Carl when she died. Sue Devaney delves into the guilt Debbie feels like cemented her decision.

‘I think she was willing to take the blame because she feels so guilty. She feels so guilty because Carl has been through such a hard time. She didn’t know that he had such a hard time growing up with Elaine. So when she finds out the guilt is dreadful. I think it’s in her head, she thinks that Carl is like he is because of her. She’s made him a bad person, because she didn’t bring him up, because she wasn’t his mother. So all that guilt, shame, remorse that she feels, it’s like, well, I’m gonna take all this, because it’s my fault. It’s my fault that he’s behaving like that.’

After dropping her baby bombshell on a stunned Carl, Debbie stands in the dock awaiting her sentence. The verdict – guilty.

This would be a punch to the gut under normal circumstances. But Debbie’s vascular dementia is sure to take a downward spiral quickly thanks to the stress of being locked up. Sue reflects on Debbie’s initial reaction to her prison sentence.

‘Oh, she’s scared. She’s frightened. She’s so frightened. She’s never been anywhere like that. Everything’s going to be stripped from her. Debbie’s mask is going to be gone, isn’t it? The dementia is taking every last bit from her, but also the prison is gonna be taking everything from her. And it’s how she survives that.’

So far, Debbie has bravely resigned herself to her fate and be a pillar of strength to those closest to her. We’ve seen her comfort Ronnie, and even take a public earful from a grief-stricken, angry Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) with quiet dignity. But once Debbie goes down, we can say goodbye to the Cobbles’ no-nonsense feisty entrepreneur that we all know and love. Sue Devaney warns that fans are about to meet a new version of Debbie, without the slap and sass..

‘It is fantastic. Just a bit of mascara, you know, nothing else. It’s interesting to play somebody that, the whole front, the makeup, the way that they look, the what they drive, who they marry, everything has to be on show. So when you strip all that back, it’s interesting to play Debbie when it’s all stripped back. Who is she?’