Sydney Martin is glad to have 'sparked conversations' with Coronation Street stroke plot
Coronation Street star Sydney Martin has been pleased by the response to the storyline in which her character Betsy Swain suffered a stroke after being strangled during consensual lovemaking with boyfriend Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne).
Sydney Martin is glad to have "sparked conversations" with her Coronation Street stroke storyline.
The 25-year-old star's Weatherfield alter ego Betsy Swain has had to rebuild her life in recent months after suffering a stroke when her boyfriend Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) strangled her during consensual sex and she has been left overwhelmed by the reaction to the powerful storyline.
In an interview with Inside Soap magazine, Sydney said: "It really does seem to have sparked so many conversations.
"I've had lots of messages from teachers and schools telling me that it's been integrated in case studies and the things they teach. I don't think we've ever seen a young person recover from a stroke onscreen anywhere before.
"I remember trying to find any films or TV shows about it. I had to watch home videos for research."
Sydney was shocked when Corrie bosses told her about the storyline and devoted hours of research to ensure that she did the plot justice.
She said: "I don't think people saw Betsy's stroke coming.
"When I first had the meeting, my reaction was, 'Wow!'.
"I never take it lightly. I'll watch 150 videos to do my research. 'Chill' is not in my personality! After I had the initial meeting I went back in with another 100 more questions."
Martin joined the cast of Corrie in 2024 and is delighted to have been embraced by viewers devoted to 'Swarla' – the relationship between Betsy's mother Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Carla Connor (Alison King).
She said: "The fans are such a gorgeous community of people!
"I feel I've been taken under the wing of Swarla and championed by them. It's a beautiful story of love between, and to see that supported is amazing.
"There's a lot of negativity online, so to have that positive outlook is wonderful."
Meanwhile, Sydney confessed that she finds it hard to switch off from her role on the ITV soap.
She said: "I'm such a busy bee!
"I have to be doing something and I'm always working on scripts. But I have the two most incredible best friends around me.
"I live with my two best mates who I met at drama school. We'll stick some TV on – Big Brother or I'm A Celeb, or a drama. But we're all actors so watching TV isn't the biggest switch off!"
