Gary Windass (Mikey North)

[Perdita]

Did not like them much when they first arrived but they have grown on me big time, especially Anna

[Perdita]

Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush has revealed that the Windass's army storyline is far from over and will continue to reflect the difficulties faced by real-life families.

On screen, Rush's character Anna and her screen husband Eddie (Steve Huison) recently saw their son Gary (Mikey North) sign up for basic training, before going AWOL for a short period.

Speaking to Digital Spy on the red carpet at this year's British Soap Awards, Rush said: "The army [story]'s going to play out a little bit longer yet... and we're really going to stick to the truth and hopefully it will portray a lot of what's going on in the country at the moment."

Meanwhile, of the Windass adoption storyline, she added: "Fundamentally Anna is a real mum and now Gary's gone, she's found a little bit of room in her nest... she was so good with Chesney... I don't know if they get to [adopt] or not, we have to wait and see."

[Dazzle]

I like the Windasses now and this army storyline is at least something a bit different from the usual soap stories.

[Ruffed_lemur]

I like the Windasses now and this army storyline is at least something a bit different from the usual soap stories.

Yeah, it makes a bit of a change.

[Katy]

I agree and i thought that they handled the AWOL storyline a few weks ago brilliantly.

[Perdita]

A HARD-HITTING new Corrie plot will see one-time tearaway Gary Windass become a bomb disposal hero.

Squaddie Gary, played by Mikey North, went AWOL earlier this year after meeting a soldier who lost his limbs in action.

But in an amazing turnaround, he'll overcome his nerves to tackle deadly IEDs on the frontline in Afghanistan. Soap bosses have planned a raft of storylines to mirror gritty real-life issues, in a move away from the usual domestic dramas.

And with 108 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2009, and a further 80 so far this year, the war is becoming too big an issue for Coronation Street to ignore.

Among those killed was bomb disposal expert Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, whose wife Christina now campaigns with the News of the World on behalf of troops. And his is the dangerous role viewers will watch Gary take on.

"We will not be holding back on the realities of our men and women going to war," said a Corrie insider.

"We'll be showing how it really is... warts and all."

Corrie writers are understood to have consulted the Ministry of Defence over the storyline.

In one scene, dad Eddie sees some paintbrushes in Gary's bag and makes a joke about painting the enemy.

Gary then reveals their true purpose: "They're for brushing the sand off the landmines."

The scenes will be shown in October.

[Perdita]

I think that it is good that they show a bit more reality again after the recent spell of some quite ridiculous storylines

[alan45]

You already have a thread about Gary Windass' army career here http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...hlight=windass

[Perdita]

That thread is is about Gary going AWOL, this is quite the opposite

[alan45]

Not according to post 6 on the thread

Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush has revealed that the Windass's army storyline is far from over and will continue to reflect the difficulties faced by real-life families.

On screen, Rush's character Anna and her screen husband Eddie (Steve Huison) recently saw their son Gary (Mikey North) sign up for basic training, before going AWOL for a short period.

Speaking to Digital Spy on the red carpet at this year's British Soap Awards, Rush said: "The army [story]'s going to play out a little bit longer yet... and we're really going to stick to the truth and hopefully it will portray a lot of what's going on in the country at the moment."