Coronation Street star Samia Longchambon has revealed that Maria Connor will harbour several worries as the mystery regarding her husband Gary Windass unfolds.
Maria and Gary have had a troubled time recently, after being slowly driven apart by the scheming Lou Michaelis. Gary subsequently left the family home for a brief period, explaining that he was going to stay with his mother.
He never made it there, however, and is actually recovering in hospital following a brutal attack from a mystery assailant. Maria is initially unaware of this, though she will begin to suspect trouble after he fails to attend Liam Connor’s birthday celebrations.
Longchambon, who has portrayed Maria since 2000, has spoken of her character’s growing concerns regarding her relationship with Gary, explaining: “At first Maria just thinks that Gary has fallen out with her and they’re obviously going through a bit of a rough patch.
“She’s really upset that he’s gone but it’s not until he’s been gone too long that she realises something is really wrong and is even more worried. Her emotions turn from being upset about the fact that they’ve fallen out to being worried about his safety.”
While Maria is concerned for Gary’s safety, she is also worried about his interactions with Lou. “I don’t think Maria believes Gary and Lou are having a full blown affair, but she’s definitely suspicious over whether Gary might have feelings for Lou,” Longchambon said.
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“He’s been siding with Lou with everything that’s been going on and seems to see the worst in Maria but the best in Lou, so she’s definitely suspicious but I don’t think at this stage she thinks they’re having an affair.”
A pivotal moment in the storyline occurs when Gary doesn’t show up for Liam’s birthday, which triggers Maria’s fears that something far more sinister is going on regarding her husband’s disappearing act.
“Maria starts getting really panicked and nervous,” said the actor. “She was obviously worried before because he had been gone a long time and was ignoring her messages and phone calls – [she] thought they would have sorted it out long before that.”
With panic setting in, Maria seeks the advice of police officer Kit Green, who shares that an unidentified man has been placed into a coma. He assures her that the patient isn’t Gary, though they are unaware that the attacker has gone to great lengths to conceal the crime.
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“When Maria learns that Gary isn’t the coma patient, she is with Kit and confides in him,” explained Longchambon. “She knows it’s awful but she actually wishes it was him just so she knew where he was.
“It’s bittersweet for Maria because she’s of course glad Gary isn’t in a coma, although little does she know he actually is, but at the same time she’s worried even more now because her fear is he could be in a worse condition or even dead.”
“She feels comfort that Kit has assured her that he’ll do everything he can to find Gary, but that absolutely wouldn’t stop Maria from doing everything she can to find him,” teased Longchambon, who added that her character’s mind was “spiralling”.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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