Coronation Street's Maria worries 'history repeats itself' in bullying storyline
"It's utterly heartbreaking for her... especially after what she went through with Aiden."
*This article includes references to suicide that some readers may find upsetting.*
Liam Connor's (Charlie Wrenshall) bullying storyline will see the young schoolboy search for ways to commit suicide, as the extent of his torment by Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) and Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan) is revealed to Maria (Samia Longchambon) and Gary Windass (Mikey North).
In upsetting scenes on Coronation Street, Liam searches for ways to commit suicide and tells his mother Maria how much he loves her before disappearing, striking fear within Maria when she finds out the truth.
Opening up about the scenes in a Q&A, Longchambon told RadioTimes.com and other press, that Maria begins to worry if "history has repeated itself", following the suicide of Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward).
Many viewers will remember that Aidan took his own life in an emotional storyline in 2018, and his character was extremely close to Maria after the former flames had an affair, which even saw Maria gatecrash his wedding to Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley).
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"At the time, when he [Liam] comes into the salon, he brings her a coffee and he's just being really nice to her and he tells her that she's a good mum that he loves her," Longchambon explained of Liam's actions.
She continued: "And she's like, 'Oh, what's brought all this on?', and she's touched by it. But she doesn't for one second think it's a goodbye from him. But as soon as Gary comes in and tells her what they've discovered on the laptop, everything makes sense to her. That's why she runs home as fast as you can to check on him.
"So I think the thoughts going through her mind at that time is, 'Has history repeated itself? Has he done what Aiden did?' When she finds him at home, it's just like, the floodgates just open and it's hugely emotional for both of them."
Since September 2023, Liam has been tormented by school bullies and soon Maria and Gary find out the extent of what has been happening when Maria sees horrid comments on Liam's social media account.
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Longchambon said that Maria feels heartbroken by what she discovers and "understandably" becomes paranoid and won't let Liam out of her sight.
She told RadioTimes.com and other press: "I think when she finds out the extent of how depressed it's making him and how he feels like he can't carry on with his life, and he has been researching ways online of how to end his life, it's like utterly heartbreaking for her and to think that her own son is considering doing that especially after what she went through with Aiden.
"Aiden is a Connor, he's part of the family. And I think she kind of takes it to the end degree and she won't let Liam out of her sight. And she does get really paranoid understandably, because it has been extremely close to home that a family member has ended their life before.
"So she's absolutely horrified by it. And she won't even leave him alone."
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