Corries most brutal stunts – actress on fire, broken ribs and on-set collapse

Kelly Neelan's life is in danger this week, after Kieron leaves her teetering on the edge of a rooftop in Coronation Street.

After asking Kieron to murder Gary Windass in revenge for the death of her father Rick, Kieron plans to kill Kelly and frame her for Gary's death.

Gary has already been viciously attacked by Kieron and his gang, but will he and Kelly survive the ordeal?

READ NEXT: ITV Corrie fans fume as intense scenes between Kelly and Gary 'too dark' to see

The brutal scenes have already begun airing, with Gary actor Mikey North revealing that he "wasn't acting" in the harrowing strangulation scenes earlier in the week.

As viewers wait to find out what will happen to Gary and Kelly, Daily Star takes a look at Coronation Street's most brutal stunts – and some of their real life injuries.

Bloody nose

Her magazine in Ireland reported that a Coronation Street extra was rushed to hospital, after sustaining injuries on set.

The cast were filming a scene where Todd Grimshaw was brutally attacked by a gang, but in the ensuing chaos, an extra fell face-first on the pavement.

The extra was reportedly left with "blood streaming from his nose," and subsequently rushed to hospital.

A spokesperson for Coronation Street told The Irish Mirror: "The actor in question sustained a minor injury when he fell during filming.

"He was taken to hospital as a precaution but he is fine and well."

Set on fire

Debbie Rush's character Anna Windass was left with life-changing injuries in the soap, after Anna suffered horrific burns when David Platt's car flipped over on the cobbles in 2008.

To film the harrowing stunt, Anna star Debbie had her legs set on fire for more than eight seconds.

To protect her, the actress' skin was covered in cooling gel and she wore fireproof clothes underneath her character's clothes.

Actors Ben Price and Michael Le Vell, who play Nick Tilsley and Kevin Webster, were also trained to put out the flames on Debbie's clothes – with their characters coming to Anna's rescue on screen.

There was also a stunt person on set to take over filming the scenes if Anna decided she did not want to film the scene herself.

Speaking to Manchester Evening News about the brutal stunt, Debbie said: "They told me I was only going to be on fire for eight seconds.

"When I came out to do it the paramedic put an oxygen mask on me for the fumes from the accelerant and that was the point I realised it was real."

She continued: "When we came to do it my heart was pounding in my chest and I didn’t speak. I just focused on the fact that I was about to be set on fire and thinking I must be crazy.

"I just zoned everyone out. I had put my trust in everyone."

On-set collapse

Eileen Grimshaw star Sue Cleaver was taken to hospital, after a Coronation Street fight scene went wrong.

Sue was filming a heated argument with co-star Judy Holt, who played Lesley Kershaw, but during the on-screen altercation, the star was accidently hit in the face.

The force of the impact caused Eileen to collapse to the floor, and the actress was taken to hospital for treatment following a bump to the head.

A source told The Mirror: "They could have used stunt doubles but they did it themselves. It was a scene the pair did a number of times without any problems.

"But Sue ended up getting a glancing blow and feeling some real pain. She had a nasty bump on her head."

Commenting on the actress' condition following the incident, a Coronation Street spokesperson confirmed that Sue was fine and that she continued to film the scene, but was "seen by a doctor as a precaution."

"Brutally strangled"

In dramatic scenes unfolding in Coronation Street this week, Gary Windass is kidnapped by gangster Kieron, after Kelly Neelan discovers that Gary murdered her dad Rick.

Brutal fight scenes have ensued, but Gary star Mikey North has revealed that he "wasn't acting" in the soap's harrowing strangulation scenes.

Speaking to Daily Star about the storyline, Mikey explained that he "enjoys" getting to perform his own stunts, but that they can often be intimidating.

Talking about the moment that one of Kieron's associates attempts to kill Gary, Mikey reflected on the realistic nature of the scene.

He said: "Weirdly, one of the 'heavies', we call them – one of the baddie's sidekicks in this storyline – was actually an ex-champion boxer.

"And let me tell you that when he strangles you he is not acting. He is doing that for real, and Millie [Gibson] will vouch for that as well. When you see us being strangled that is not acting."

Damaged arm

Tina O'Brien and Mikey North filmed one of Coronation Street's first stunts post-pandemic in 2020, with a number of measures in place to ensure social distancing kept the actors safe.

However, Tina did not manage to keep herself entirely safe while filming a car crash stunt, which saw Mikey's character Gary push Tina's Sarah Platt out of the path of an incoming car.

Tina injured her arm while landing on a mat during filming, saying during a press conference: ""I even ended with a scrape down my arm when I threw myself onto a mat, I really thought I was in some sort of action film and got carried away like a post-COVID Bond Girl!"

However, to ensure that social distancing was in place, Coronation Street bosses dressed up a mannequin as Sarah, which Mikey North pushed out of the way instead of Tina O'Brien.

"Mikey had to push me, but we can't have contact so we used a mannequin," said Tina.

"I've not seen what it looks like when edited together so I'm just hoping it's not like, there's Tina and there's a mannequin!"

Bus crash injuries

Coronation Street is known for its epic stunts, including the 2015 mini bus crash that saw the lives of the Underworld staff hanging in the balance.

The night time scenes saw the cast members filming in cold temperatures, before the mini bush plummeted down the side of a cliff.

While the characters were severely injured on screen, so were the cast, with Sean Tulley actor Antony Cotton revealing in a press conference that he broke a rib.

He said: "I broke a rib in the middle of it as well. I got a chest infection from being out through the night, and I got up for work and I sat up funny and broke a rib from coughing."

Tracey Barlow actress Kate Ford also revealed that some of the cast had minor injuries from the stunt, adding: "I had quite a few bruises, but it was probably worse for those hanging upside down in a harness."

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