ITV1 WEDNESDAY
CORRIE STAR HARRIET BIBBY ON SUMMER’S BITTERSWEET RETURN – AND HER NEW BEAU!
Summer waved goodbye to the cobbles in March as she jetted off to study in America for a term. But now she’s back home for good, and she doesn’t only have her suitcase with her – but a new boyfriend, too! Harriet Bibby, who plays Summer, chats to Inside Soap about whether her alter ego has met ‘the one’…
Hi, Harriet! Do you think Summer’s time in America has changed her at all?
Fundamentally she’s the same Summer. But I feel as if this is the largest chunk of time she’s spent away from home as an independent grown up. So, like any teenager who gets that first moment of freedom, she’s grown and come back more independent.
They would have had phone and video calls while she was away. So she’s up-to-date with where Paul is – but when she arrives home, he’s just got his Eyegaze machine [an eye-controlled communication system] and he’s learning how to use it. And even though Summer’s expecting it, seeing him using that hits home a bit more.
How have you felt filming the MND storyline?
All the scripts have been really sensitive and well-written, and Peter [Ash, aka Paul] is doing a fantastic job. It’s hard not to get emotional on set. But that’s why I’m grateful that we have such a great team and that we get on really well, so we’re able to let that emotion go when we finish a scene. We were talking today about how it’s strange to watch the episodes that are currently airing, while we film Paul in the place that we will see him go. Day-to-day going into work – probably similar to real life – you don’t feel it quite as much because you’ve lived through every day while it’s progressively getting worse. It’s such a jump, and it’s been emotional.
How do you think Summer and Billy’s relationship will be impacted after Paul passes away?
Billy and Summer have an immense bond. Considering that they’re not biologically related, it feels as though they’re very much part of each other’s history and they have certainly bonded in a very close way. And I think we’ll continue to see that bond. I know for definite that they’ll lean on each other and need each other through Paul’s journey, but also during the aftermath of when Paul does pass away.
How did you feel when you heard th
