Coronation Street’s Debbie Webster actress Sue Devaney has teased all about the big soap wedding, Carl Webster’s comeuppance and the explosive Corriedale episode
As Coronation Street‘s Debbie Webster continues to adapt to living with young onset vascular dementia, one thing she’s determined to see go ahead is her extravagant wedding to Ronnie Bailey.
But actress Sue Devaney, who has played the fan favourite since 1984, warns there’s plenty of tension as the big day arrives thanks to Debbie’s warring siblings Kevin [Michael Le Vell] and Carl [played by Jonathan Howard].
Sue, 58, says Debbie won’t let their feud spoil the wedding of her dreams though. The hotel owner hasn’t had much luck with men in Weatherfield, dumped by tearaway Dazz in the 80s, before her scheming ex Ray Crosby brought trouble to her door in 2020, a year on from her return to the Cobbles.
But Debbie has finally found the one in Ronnie amid the devastation of her diagnosis. “She’s never found true love until now,” admits Sue. “I think because Ronnie said to her, ‘I’m not going anywhere, you might be poorly, you might have dementia, but I’m sticking by your side,’ she just sees that as true love.”
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Sue originally joined the soap as a teenager in 1984 and bowed out a year later, before becoming a key character after her return in 2019. She’s proven a hit with fans ever since, and so her character’s sad health news came as a blow. Sue and show bosses have promised there’s plenty more to see from Debbie before her eventual heartbreaking exit.
As the soap continues to highlight the condition and what it’s like to live with dementia, Debbie’s wedding sees a performance from the dementia choir in an emotional touch. “I was over the moon because it was so beautiful,” shares Sue. “When they started singing, I had a little tear. It was fabulous. They sounded amazing.”
Sue even got to have her say when it came to Debbie’s amazing wedding look, sharing her inspiration behind the dress. She admits: “I said I just want to look like a Joan Collins from Rochdale. They delivered brilliantly. I wanted that shape, you know, because I like the feathers and that kind of 50s shape with big shoes and a big feather headdress.”
The day is not without its drama, as attention falls on Carl who has been targeting Debbie, even using her diagnosis against her as he plots to flee with her money. With plenty of secrets set to come out, it’s on Kevin and his ex Abi [Sally Carman-Duttine] to expose the truth. “In Debbie’s eyes, Carl can’t do anything wrong, because she loves her brother,” Sue confesses. “I think there’s going to be a lot of tension around the wedding where Abi is watching out for Carl because she doesn’t trust him.
“I think Debbie is letting him get away with little bits. She’s not that far down the line that she doesn’t see things. Love is blind, isn’t it?” Sue reveals the events of the wedding will lead into dramatic scenes as Coronation Street collides with Emmerdale in a special crossover episode, dubbed Corriedale.
“She doesn’t want Carl to leave,” Sue explains. “She doesn’t want Carl to leave the wedding. Also he’s drunk, so she doesn’t want him to drive off. She jumps in the car thinking, ‘Well, you can’t go anywhere if I’m in the car.’ And he thinks, ‘Well, I’m going somewhere,’ and carries on driving far too fast.”
It seems Debbie and Carl could be caught up in the big crash stunt too in something unexpected, possibly, to fans. As Sue shares all about filming for the episode, she appears to confirm Debbie and Carl will be in Carl’s car, after fans had speculated it could be her wedding party bus caught up in the drama. She also addressed some stunt work.
She says: “There was one scene where Carl had to drive off really fast and they had a dummy for me, you know, with the hair and feathers in the hair and everything. And I said to our director, ‘Can I not speed off with the stunt guy?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, go on then.’ He let me do it! It felt like doing a little movie or something.”
It’s safe to say that there will be big consequences in the fallout to Christmas and the start of 2026 too. “It’s not going to be plain sailing,” warns Sue. “There’s going to be some massive reveals, things that we didn’t know about Debbie, and quite a bit of reflection.”
Sue’s also hoping for more scenes with Debbie’s female pals, including Christina Boyd and Glenda Suttleworth, expressing the importance of women supporting women. Sue says: “I think that those friendships and those bonds that you have with another woman is something that has to be highlighted, because you don’t see it that often in soap. I think they should do an episode just with women.”
While it’s been a busy time for the actress, she’s planned a relaxing time off over the Christmas period with her husband Jim O’Farrell, whom she married in a private ceremony last year. “I’m going to be away for three weeks,” Sue teases. “Me and my husband are going to relax in the sunshine. Stepping off that plane, hiring a car, going island hopping. And not a script in sight. I’ll tell you what else is not in sight: phone is off.”
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .