Harriet Bibby hopes that a brighter future may be ahead for her Coronation Street character Summer Spellman.
The character has had a pretty rough year, in the wake of losing father figure Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) to motor neurone disease. Another of her trio of dads, Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce), entered an abusive relationship with Theo Silverton (James Cartwright), and Summer seemed to be the only cobbles resident who could see his true colours.
Desperate to cover his tracks, Theo then allowed Summer's dad, Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) to die. He clipped his seatbelt back into the buckle, and then watched as the crashed minibus that he was driving burst into flames.
Just months later, Theo perished himself. George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) and Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins) thought that Summer was to blame after finding a series of notes in her journal detailing how she wanted him dead.
"I think that the storylines that we've been working on have been so explosive, crazy and emotional," Bibby told Radio Times at the Inside Soap Awards.
"Gareth [Pierce], I think he's been fantastic this year, and deserves to take some awards home."
The star did indeed collect a multitude of awards - including Best Actor and Best Storyline, as well as being part of the plots that contributed to Best Showstopper, Best Exit and Best Villain. Corrie was also handed the coveted Best Soap trophy.
After Summer's wrongful imprisonment, and now that the real culprit Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) has been held ahead of an explosive trial, a promising new romance has arose.
A tattoo artist, Marco Rhodes (Will Teasdale), stole one of Summer's drawings and later asked her out on a date. She was concerned that he had an ankle tag, though has promised to try and see through his misdemeanours.
However, in forthcoming scenes, she'll learn that he was the getaway driver of a car involved in an RTC. Despite Todd's insistence that she stay away from him, Summer eventually heads to the prison.
"She deserves a bit of happiness," Bibby added.
"People are unsure. I want him to have a good heart, and I think Summer does as well. Like she wants to trust him, but maybe that'll be a downfall.
"She's been through quite a lot in the past. She's quite an understanding person and knows that it's not just surface level, and there's more to this person than this ankle tag on. She can't say no to a little sad puppy, and there are going to be a few complications."
The star concluded: "She wants to sit by him. I think someone really wants that happy ending, so is willing to put the energy into someone, so we'll see what happens."
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