Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street star Cait Fitton has addressed the mixed response to her character Lauren Bolton.
Lauren has had a tough time on the cobbles lately. She recently returned to making videos on the adult website O-Vidz to make more money, all while claiming to have a rich boyfriend.
The teen's secret is set to be discovered by Max Turner and Sabrina Adetiba in scenes that will air next week, with the revelation proving difficult for her former love interest Max.
Fitton explained that she understands the viewers' love-hate reaction to her character, saying: "At the start when I came in I wasn't sure I liked her, but the more I've learned about her and why she is the way she is, the more I really care for her.
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"You never know how she's going to react, I think you love to hate her. There are things that she's done and will continue to do that I don't really agree with but they make her her and I don't want to be a character that everyone likes, I want to be a character that people are intrigued by.
"I want her to be loved but also hated at the same time. There's so much more of a journey for this character to go on. So I love that people don't like her sometimes, because half the time I don't really like her, yet at the same time I've got all this feeling underneath that explains why she is the way she is.
"People on the outside don't really see that but I'm hoping that in time they'll understand."
She continued: "I've have had people approach me saying they don't like Lauren, and as much as you can be taken aback it's also quite reassuring because it makes me feel like I'm doing a good job in portraying her.
"I want to be able to show the vulnerable side too because I do think deep down underneath that hard shell she's very vulnerable and she needs a support system. She just needs someone to hold her and give her a hug and say that everything's going to be okay, which is really sad."
The actress went on to reveal that it can be hard playing a character with a challenging backstory, saying: "I think with the more emotional scenes it's quite hard because you want to do it justice, there are young women out there that do feel like Lauren.
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"Lauren's a very streetwise girl and I do relate to her, she's not come from a lot but she's very grateful for what she does have, even if she doesn't show it 99.9% of the time. I'm really enjoying working with different characters and exploring where those paths can go between them."
Despite the difficult nature of the role, Fitton shared how much she enjoys playing "such a complex character," adding that she thinks "there's so much more to her than we know so far."
She continued: "There's a reason why she is the way she is and I'm hoping that whatever happens, whenever my time's up here, that I've done a good job and been able to show people that Lauren is not just what you see is what you get, there's more to it than that."
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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