Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush has spoken out on the rape debate had by some viewers regarding her character's ordeal at the hands of Phelan.
Debbie, who has played Anna Windass since 2008 and is departing the soap after nine years, demonstrated her point by comparing it to another of Corrie's recent plots – the grooming and sexual abuse of teenager Bethany Platt.
"As a woman... I know there has been a debate for some time over did he [Phelan] rape her [Anna] or didn't he rape her?" explained the star.
"Well, he did, because she was coerced into having sex with him to protect her family.
"We've just done the Bethany storyline and the nation is on Bethany's side and knows she was groomed and raped. Anna was a grown woman who was groomed and raped.
"That's the way I've played it and that's why, for me, Anna should be the one to bring him down with justice."
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And it seems Debbie isn't the only one to think that – Corrie fans are also chomping at the bit for Anna to be the one who eventually brings about Phelan's comeuppance.
"I've found the Phelan storyline a fantastic opportunity to play cat and mouse," she said. "I'm the mouse and he's the cat. We've let it gently bubble and boil until this crescendo we have now.
"I think the public thought for a while that it was going away and it hasn't. They want Anna to bring him down – I still get little old ladies and even young lads shouting, 'Oi, Anna, when you gonna get Phelan?'. So everyone wants him done in, and they all want Anna to do it."
Although Debbie can't wait for Pat to get what's coming to him, the actress is full of praise for actor Connor McIntyre who plays the villain.
"Connor is lovely – whenever we finish a scene we always have a cuddle," grins Debbie. "He's a giant and I'm a midget, and he's so lovely.
"We work in a very similar way, so we arrive on set and are jovial and jolly and chat about what we did at the weekend, but a minute before the cameras start rolling we go into our corners and become those characters.
"In that moment it is terrifying and frightening, and we go to very dark places."
Anna is set to have a hellish Christmas this year, as news reaches the cobbles that her son Gary has been killed in Ukraine – but is everything as it seems?
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Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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