Bethany Platt First Appeared as a Newborn on Coronation Street Nearly Three Decades Ago
The actor who portrayed Bethany Platt’s father in Coronation Street looks almost unrecognisable years after leaving the soap. Bethany, now played by Lucy Fallon, has remained a familiar face on the show for many years.
As the daughter of Sarah Platt, played by Tina O’Brien, Bethany has been at the centre of numerous major storylines throughout her time on the cobbles. Most recently, she has been making headlines as she is currently pregnant with the baby of Sarah’s ex, Kit Green, played by Jacob Roberts.
However, Bethany first arrived in the soap world back in 2000, when she was born following a groundbreaking storyline involving 13-year-old Sarah discovering she was pregnant. The plot shocked viewers across the country and was among the first storylines in a British soap to explore teenage pregnancy.
It became a significant moment in Coronation Street’s history, with the storyline aiming to highlight the consequences of teenage pregnancy and the real-life challenges associated with becoming a mother at such a young age.
Teenage Sarah and her mother, Gail Platt (Helen Worth), discovered she was pregnant after Gail took her to the doctor, suspecting that Sarah might be suffering from an eating disorder.
When they learned that Sarah was already five months pregnant, they decided to keep the news a secret from the residents of the cobbles. However, the truth eventually spread, leaving Sarah facing cruel comments and hurtful remarks from others.
Although her parents initially suspected that the baby’s father was an older man, the truth was that he was actually Sarah’s schoolmate, Neil Fearns, played by Paul Holowaty. In June 2000, Sarah gave birth to her daughter, Bethany Platt.
Despite becoming a father, Neil never met his daughter, Bethany. When she celebrated her first birthday, Neil’s family sent the Platts a card along with a cheque.
However, in 2003, Neil was killed in a car crash. Martin and Gail later broke the news to Sarah, who was shocked to hear of his death but did not show an especially emotional reaction.
After leaving Coronation Street, actor Paul Holowaty landed a role in Hollyoaks in 2005, playing the racist bully Steven ‘Macki’ MacIntosh. He also appeared in Casualty before heading to the United States in 2016 to take on a role in the American series NCIS.
He appeared in the 2020 Hollywood blockbuster Dolittle, as well as the TV movie Falling for Love. Earlier this year, he also featured in the multi-award-winning feature film NUMB.
Paul looks quite different from his days on Coronation Street, with the former soap star now sporting facial hair. He has also swapped his schoolboy shirts for a much smarter style of clothing.
Reflecting on the memorable teenage pregnancy storyline, Tina O’Brien previously said: “Nothing for me will probably ever beat that story, just because of the age I was, the opportunity to play out a teenage pregnancy and how much the story blew up. Neil Fearns was Sarah’s first sexual relationship, it happened once, she was very young and very naive.
“They were just so young and with not being in a relationship, Neil was never really involved. It was crazy the response to that storyline but I absolutely loved playing it.”
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