Ex-Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, 35, has questioned whether it was ‘ethically appropriate’ for her to have to appear in her underwear as a teenager on the show.
Helen Flanagan was only nine years old when she made her debut on Coronation Street as Rosie Webster, the eldest child of Sally and Kevin. Now 35, she looks back on the time she was 16 – a year older than her character – when Rosie became involved with teacher John Stape (Graeme Hawley), who was later exposed as a serial killer.
The storyline included her character being kidnapped and held captive by Stape after their inappropriate relationship came to light and he lost his job.
Speaking to The Mirror, Helen said: “Was it morally right for me to be expected to parade around in my underwear like some kind of wild nymphomaniac while I was still a teenager? Alison King, who plays Carla Connor, once lost it in the green room, saying how wrong it was to sexualise me as such a young girl. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what she meant. I do now. I get it.”
She adds: “I had to do kissing and bedroom scenes with a man much older than me. The actor [Graeme Hawley] was lovely, of course, but I don’t think that would happen today. At 16, you don’t fully understand what’s going on, and I was just thrilled to be part of the big storylines. But some of Rosie’s scenes didn’t always sit right with me. After filming, I often felt awful.”
Helen reflects on how the industry has changed, saying: “Everything is different now, which I’m glad about. They wouldn’t write something like that in the same way today, especially after the Me Too movement,” according to The Mirror.
She compares her time as Rosie to her current role as Catherine, the youngest of three sisters, in Shelagh Stephenson’s play The Memory of Water, which opens today at Bolton’s Octagon Theatre. Today, she has an intimacy coordinator to ensure she feels comfortable.
“Back then, you just had to get on with it,” she recalls about her Coronation Street days.
Helen emphasizes that expressing her sexuality now feels empowering, as long as it’s on her own terms. She explains: “I post sexy photos, work with different lingerie brands, and enjoy it. I like feeling sexy, empowered, and in control. That’s the difference. I’ve also turned up to shoots, not realizing how ‘sexy’ they would be, and felt I couldn’t object because it would seem unprofessional – and I’ve ended up in tears.”
In recent years, Helen’s personal life has often overshadowed her acting career. She now reveals that her footballer ex, Scott Sinclair, 36 – father of her three children – has hurt her again by deciding to sell their family home.
Having recently called the former Chelsea, Manchester City, and Aston Villa player a “d***head,” she admits: “I’ll always love Scott, but he’s really let me down.”
The couple split in 2022 amid rumours of infidelity. Despite this, Helen continues to live in the £1 million family home in Belmont, Bolton, with their children Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven, and Charlie, four.
She says: “His choice to sell the family home has broken my heart. He claims it’s a financial decision since he isn’t signed to a club at the moment, but it frustrates me when he spends money on luxury holidays and frequent trips to Dubai. Scott owns other properties that could be sold – his mother lives in a similar house, which hasn’t been put on the market.”
Helen adds: “I worry about my future and my security. I have to work constantly to make ends meet. He’s their dad, but he’s a wealthy guy, you know?”
In her first book, Head and Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns and Being Rosie, Helen reflects on her relationship with Scott: “I was with him for 13 years – he was my whole 20s. We don’t speak, we don’t communicate at all. It’s just really sad. I never wanted it to end this way.”
She continues: “As a woman, I’ve had to be strong. This is me using my voice. I’ve upset the apple cart, but why should I stay silent? I’d want Matilda to do the same. I want her to have her voice.”
But Scott wasn’t the only man to break her heart.
After their split, she briefly dated former boxer David Haye and strongly denies rumours that she was involved in a throuple with him and his partner Sian Osbourne. Helen, who appeared on the 2012 series of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity and returned for the All Stars edition in 2023, met David on the show and pursued a relationship despite being aware of his open arrangement.
She reveals: “He doesn’t know he’s in the book. I do think he loves Sian. I also think he loved me. I just don’t think he really knows how to love anyone.”
Originally from Bury, Greater Manchester, Helen joined Coronation Street in 2000, left in 2012, and made a short return between 2017 and 2018. Looking back on her time on the soap, she says: “I’m just a normal, northern working-class girl, so Coronation Street really transformed my life.”
The actress hasn’t dismissed the idea of returning to the cobbles. Currently single, she says: “I’m concentrating on acting without distractions. I’d love to do more TV – a drama or something on Netflix.”
Reflecting on her 2017 comeback to Corrie, she adds: “The first time I was always in the main storylines. Coming back and not getting those was difficult. But I’d love to return at some point.”
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