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Coronation Street's overprotective father Owen Armstrong will fear that his daughter Izzy is a victim of domestic violence in a forthcoming storyline, a report has claimed.
The short-tempered builder, played by Ian Puleston-Davies, becomes suspicious when he sees that Izzy (Cherylee Houston) has bruises and decides that her boyfriend Gary Windass must be responsible, according to The Sun.
However, as previously reported, the real explanation for Izzy's injuries is that she has been mugged by yobs at a cashpoint.
Following the factory worker's ordeal, erratic Gary (Mikey North) is expected to suffer a fresh breakdown and prevent Izzy from leaving her home in a bid to protect her from any further harm.
When Owen hears a trapped Izzy shouting from her house, he apparently fears that Gary is attacking her. Kicking down the door to rescue her, he then discovers the truth about what has been going on.
Recent Coronation Street episodes have seen Gary grow increasingly protective over Izzy. His problems stem back to his horrifying experience in Afghanistan, which left him suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Coronation Street's new twists for Gary, Izzy and Owen are expected to air in August.
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Coronation Street actor Mikey North recently had a chat with Digital Spy about the latest storyline for Gary Windass, who's about to spark fresh fears for his welfare with some erratic behaviour.
For all the gossip on the dark scenes ahead for Gary and Izzy, read the main interview with Mikey.
Here, though, Soap Scoop asks the star about where things could be heading for Gary in the longer-term, Anna's possible new romance with Owen and what's coming up for the Windasses…
Can Gary and Izzy pull through their latest problems?
"Well, obviously a lot's gone on! Neither of us are sure where things are going to lead after this point. I think Izzy is definitely going to be a bit shellshocked by it all, and it's going to take time for it to heal. But we'll have to wait and see what happens."
How long do you think Gary's army experience will affect him for?
"I think this storyline will always be a part of Gary while he's in the show. Post-traumatic stress doesn't just disappear, so I would imagine that it's always going to keep popping up at regular intervals. I think this current experience will put it to bed for a little while, but it could crop up again when we least expect it."
Anna and Owen seem to be getting closer. Do you think Gary would be happy to see them get together?
"Well, I think this will be the interesting thing! Gary is very protective towards his mum as well, so I think he's going to have some divided loyalties there. I'm sure it's the plan of the writers to explore how this new dynamic of the family works, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it through."
It certainly seems like there's an extended family building up with Gary, Izzy, Anna, Owen, Chesney, Katy and Faye…
"Yeah, I think we're going to see them all mixing together a lot more. It's almost like we've gained a big new family, so hopefully we can all be thrust right into the centre of the street and see some more big storylines coming off the back of that."
Gary and Chesney have had quite a few scenes lately…
"Yeah - me and Sam Aston even share a dressing room together. Looking in the mirror can be a bit confusing sometimes as I'm not sure who I'm looking at! I'm sure one day they'll come out as long-lost brothers, but we'll have to see! (Laughs)"
Do you miss working with Steve Huison, who played Gary's dad Eddie?
"Absolutely. Steve is without a doubt one of the nicest, most talented and most professional men that I've ever worked with. We'll never forget him and he'll always be a Windass forever. We're still in touch and we all stick together. You never know, hopefully one day he might return - we'll have to watch this space. But we do miss him."
Do you ever miss playing Gary as a full-blown bad lad, or do you think he's moved on from that now?
"Oh, I love playing the baddie - the badder that Gary gets, the better for me! When you play the baddie, you get to do things in the programme that you wouldn't get to do in real life. I'd like to see Gary resolve his issues first and then maybe return to his bad lad ways. I think that's what he's about and it's bedded down inside him. Even though he doesn't want to be bad, he always seems to end up in trouble all the time. Hopefully we'll see that re-occur at some point."
What else do you hope lies ahead for Gary?
"I'd really like to see Gary and David get their feud back on! I haven't worked with Jack P. Shepherd for a long time now, and when I first came in, their rivalry was my main storyline. I'd like to see that come to the fore again, in a Ken Barlow vs. Mike Baldwin type of feud! Hopefully the writers might pick up on that."
It seemed to take the viewers a while to warm to the Windasses, but the reaction has really turned around. Do you feel like the family have been accepted now?
"Yeah, I think coming into any soap, a new family will struggle and we were told about that. You think, 'It won't happen to us', but it does. When we came in as a big, brash family, it was very 'in your face'. But looking back, things have drastically improved now. The reaction to us is brilliant and I think you can sense how popular the Windasses are now. Especially Debbie Rush, who plays Anna. People love Debbie and Anna, and I think she's a real focal point of the show now. I hope that they're as popular as ever and the current storyline will make them even more so."
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Gary Windass's excitement over fatherhood is shattered on Coronation Street next week as his girlfriend Izzy Armstrong suffers a miscarriage.
Izzy (Cherylee Houston) is devastated by the loss of her unborn baby, and while Gary is keen to assure her that their parenthood dreams aren't over, the feisty factory worker drops a bombshell by announcing that she doesn't want to try for another child…
How is Gary feeling about Izzy's pregnancy?
"I think at first it took him by surprise, because it kind of came from nowhere. But now he's come round to it and he's the happiest guy alive - he can't wait to be a dad. Gary and Izzy's hearts are set on having a baby now."
Gary's overprotective side starts coming out again next week, doesn't it?
"Yeah, in the episodes coming up you'll see the obsessive streak coming out in Gary again, like it did when he took Izzy hostage about a year ago. Gary gets overly possessive without realising that he's doing it, so he starts mollycoddling her. He's watching where Izzy goes and he doesn't want her working too hard at the factory - all that kind of stuff."
That also leads to some conflict between Gary and Rob…
"Yeah, that's right - Rob has taken charge of Underworld and he's overworking Izzy. Gary takes offence to that, and has a quiet word in Rob's ear about it. But Rob doesn't listen and carries on working her too hard, so Gary goes in to see him about it.
"Gary confronts Rob in a more aggressive way the second time round. Izzy is there at the time, and when she tries to intervene, she starts experiencing pains and is rushed to hospital."
Izzy is devastated when she hears that she's lost the baby. Does Gary show his emotions too, or does he try to stay strong for Izzy?
"I think there's a bit of both. At first, Gary is scared that he's to blame for the miscarriage, as him going in and kicking off at Underworld caused Izzy unnecessary stress - but actually it turns out that she hadn't felt right for a while.
"Gary tries to put on a brave face for Izzy, so that she doesn't feel worse than she already does. He's very upset himself, but he does try to look after Izzy and convince her that everything is going to be fine."
Do you think Gary would have been a good father?
"Yeah, obviously Gary was a bad lad when he first came into the show, but I think he's grown up a lot since he came back from the army. He would have made a good dad and he was really looking forward to it. I think he would have learned from the mistakes that his own dad made - good old Eddie!"
What happens when Gary suggests trying for another baby as soon as Izzy is well enough?
"Well, Gary is overeager to try again for another baby as soon as possible. People with Izzy's condition can carry babies to full-term, but it just so happens that she miscarried on this occasion.
"But Izzy is not so keen on the idea. She eventually decides that she can't face going through it again, as she doesn't want the pain of carrying a baby full-term with her condition. Izzy tells Gary that she's not going to try for another baby and that's the most upsetting thing for Gary - that he's never going to be a dad. He tries desperately to persuade Izzy otherwise."
Do you think Gary and Izzy are strong enough to come through these problems?
"Definitely. They've been through so much together already with Gary's post-traumatic stress, but Izzy took him back then and they worked through that together. Hopefully they can come through this as well, because they're such a good couple.
"I love working with Cherylee as she's brilliant. She's an inspiration as she goes through so much every day just to get into work and to give the level of performance that she does. I love her to bits and can't speak highly enough of her."
Once again, you've been filming some really emotional scenes for this storyline. Do those stay with you for a while once the cameras stop rolling?
"Yeah, I think they have to. For a scene to look good and be believable, you've got to believe it yourself when you're giving that performance. That's the way I try to go about things anyway, so it does stay with you."
2012 has been a quieter year for you so far, but can we expect to see Gary more frequently now?
"Absolutely. I had a really quiet start to this year, but things have really started to turn around with this storyline. As far as I'm aware, it's going to keep running and running, so I'm looking forward to having a couple of years of getting my teeth into a big storyline and seeing where it's going. I love coming to work, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Would you like Gary's post-traumatic stress to be explored again at some point?
"Yeah, I think to keep it realistic, it's got to be explored again because it never goes away and it can always come back at any point. So I'm sure at some point it will come out. But for now, it's nice that he's moved on from that and this is another new chapter for him. We've seen his bad lad days, the army storyline, and now he's focusing on becoming a man and wanting to start a family."
Do you miss Gary's bad boy storylines?
"I love Gary being a bad lad - it's fun playing the bad guy because you can do things that you'd never get to do in real life. I think Gary will always have an edge to him, so I try to put that in whenever I can. I get the best of both worlds now, because he can be nice and grown-up and have more adult storylines, but with just a hint of that bad boy past coming through."
Who are your best friends on set?
"Ian Puleston-Davies, who plays Owen, is one of my best friends and we tend to knock about together outside of work. The dynamic between our characters is one of my favourites, as Owen is a father-in-law of sorts for Gary. They've got a bit of a frosty relationship, and I'm sure that will bubble over again at some point.
"I get on really well with Cherylee, too, and we also spend time together outside of work. And Debbie [Rush] who plays Anna has become a real-life mum to me in a way - she even bosses me about sometimes!"
What are your hobbies and interests outside of Corrie?
"I'm a massive sports fan. I used to play county cricket when I was younger - you never know, I might have been a cricketer instead of an actor if I'd gone down a different route. I love football and rugby, too, so I spend most of my spare time watching sport or playing sport, really."
How did you get into acting?
"It was when I started secondary school. My form tutor was the drama teacher, so she said, 'Why don't you give it a go?' Things went from there - I did amateur dramatics, school plays and stuff like that, so that's when I got spotted.
"My very first professional acting job was in the West End. I did a play down there, and I was named the 'Best Newcomer to British Theatre' in a theatre guide. That was really nice, and all of that kick-started things off for me, really. Without that I probably wouldn't be here today. The one thing I always say to young actors is that someone has got to take a risk on you at some point. Everyone will say that you need experience to get your first job, but there's no way of getting experience unless someone takes a chance on you."
As you have that theatre background, would you be interested in doing another play at some point?
"Well, it's coming up to four years now that I've spent in front of the camera. I'll always have that theatre side in me, but I've grown to love doing telly. I'm sure I'll go back into theatre one day, but we'll have to see if time allows!"
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Gary Windass's excitement over fatherhood is shattered on Coronation Street next week as his girlfriend Izzy Armstrong suffers a miscarriage.
Izzy (Cherylee Houston) is devastated by the loss of her unborn baby, and while Gary is keen to assure her that their parenthood dreams aren't over, the feisty factory worker drops a bombshell by announcing that she doesn't want to try for another child…
How is Gary feeling about Izzy's pregnancy?
"I think at first it took him by surprise, because it kind of came from nowhere. But now he's come round to it and he's the happiest guy alive - he can't wait to be a dad. Gary and Izzy's hearts are set on having a baby now."
Gary's overprotective side starts coming out again next week, doesn't it?
"Yeah, in the episodes coming up you'll see the obsessive streak coming out in Gary again, like it did when he took Izzy hostage about a year ago. Gary gets overly possessive without realising that he's doing it, so he starts mollycoddling her. He's watching where Izzy goes and he doesn't want her working too hard at the factory - all that kind of stuff."
That also leads to some conflict between Gary and Rob…
"Yeah, that's right - Rob has taken charge of Underworld and he's overworking Izzy. Gary takes offence to that, and has a quiet word in Rob's ear about it. But Rob doesn't listen and carries on working her too hard, so Gary goes in to see him about it.
"Gary confronts Rob in a more aggressive way the second time round. Izzy is there at the time, and when she tries to intervene, she starts experiencing pains and is rushed to hospital."
Izzy is devastated when she hears that she's lost the baby. Does Gary show his emotions too, or does he try to stay strong for Izzy?
"I think there's a bit of both. At first, Gary is scared that he's to blame for the miscarriage, as him going in and kicking off at Underworld caused Izzy unnecessary stress - but actually it turns out that she hadn't felt right for a while.
"Gary tries to put on a brave face for Izzy, so that she doesn't feel worse than she already does. He's very upset himself, but he does try to look after Izzy and convince her that everything is going to be fine."
Do you think Gary would have been a good father?
"Yeah, obviously Gary was a bad lad when he first came into the show, but I think he's grown up a lot since he came back from the army. He would have made a good dad and he was really looking forward to it. I think he would have learned from the mistakes that his own dad made - good old Eddie!"
What happens when Gary suggests trying for another baby as soon as Izzy is well enough?
"Well, Gary is overeager to try again for another baby as soon as possible. People with Izzy's condition can carry babies to full-term, but it just so happens that she miscarried on this occasion.
"But Izzy is not so keen on the idea. She eventually decides that she can't face going through it again, as she doesn't want the pain of carrying a baby full-term with her condition. Izzy tells Gary that she's not going to try for another baby and that's the most upsetting thing for Gary - that he's never going to be a dad. He tries desperately to persuade Izzy otherwise."
Do you think Gary and Izzy are strong enough to come through these problems?
"Definitely. They've been through so much together already with Gary's post-traumatic stress, but Izzy took him back then and they worked through that together. Hopefully they can come through this as well, because they're such a good couple.
"I love working with Cherylee as she's brilliant. She's an inspiration as she goes through so much every day just to get into work and to give the level of performance that she does. I love her to bits and can't speak highly enough of her."
Once again, you've been filming some really emotional scenes for this storyline. Do those stay with you for a while once the cameras stop rolling?
"Yeah, I think they have to. For a scene to look good and be believable, you've got to believe it yourself when you're giving that performance. That's the way I try to go about things anyway, so it does stay with you."
2012 has been a quieter year for you so far, but can we expect to see Gary more frequently now?
"Absolutely. I had a really quiet start to this year, but things have really started to turn around with this storyline. As far as I'm aware, it's going to keep running and running, so I'm looking forward to having a couple of years of getting my teeth into a big storyline and seeing where it's going. I love coming to work, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Would you like Gary's post-traumatic stress to be explored again at some point?
"Yeah, I think to keep it realistic, it's got to be explored again because it never goes away and it can always come back at any point. So I'm sure at some point it will come out. But for now, it's nice that he's moved on from that and this is another new chapter for him. We've seen his bad lad days, the army storyline, and now he's focusing on becoming a man and wanting to start a family."
Do you miss Gary's bad boy storylines?
"I love Gary being a bad lad - it's fun playing the bad guy because you can do things that you'd never get to do in real life. I think Gary will always have an edge to him, so I try to put that in whenever I can. I get the best of both worlds now, because he can be nice and grown-up and have more adult storylines, but with just a hint of that bad boy past coming through."
Who are your best friends on set?
"Ian Puleston-Davies, who plays Owen, is one of my best friends and we tend to knock about together outside of work. The dynamic between our characters is one of my favourites, as Owen is a father-in-law of sorts for Gary. They've got a bit of a frosty relationship, and I'm sure that will bubble over again at some point.
"I get on really well with Cherylee, too, and we also spend time together outside of work. And Debbie [Rush] who plays Anna has become a real-life mum to me in a way - she even bosses me about sometimes!"
What are your hobbies and interests outside of Corrie?
"I'm a massive sports fan. I used to play county cricket when I was younger - you never know, I might have been a cricketer instead of an actor if I'd gone down a different route. I love football and rugby, too, so I spend most of my spare time watching sport or playing sport, really."
How did you get into acting?
"It was when I started secondary school. My form tutor was the drama teacher, so she said, 'Why don't you give it a go?' Things went from there - I did amateur dramatics, school plays and stuff like that, so that's when I got spotted.
"My very first professional acting job was in the West End. I did a play down there, and I was named the 'Best Newcomer to British Theatre' in a theatre guide. That was really nice, and all of that kick-started things off for me, really. Without that I probably wouldn't be here today. The one thing I always say to young actors is that someone has got to take a risk on you at some point. Everyone will say that you need experience to get your first job, but there's no way of getting experience unless someone takes a chance on you."
As you have that theatre background, would you be interested in doing another play at some point?
"Well, it's coming up to four years now that I've spent in front of the camera. I'll always have that theatre side in me, but I've grown to love doing telly. I'm sure I'll go back into theatre one day, but we'll have to see if time allows!"
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Coronation Street star Mikey North has revealed that his character Gary Windass could become obsessed with Tina McIntyre.
Tina (Michelle Keegan) is carrying a baby for Gary and his girlfriend Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston) as part of a surrogacy storyline.
Gary's growing interest with Tina steps up a gear next week when Izzy storms out of an antenatal class after being there with Gary and Tina and feeling excluded. Gary later finds Tina's dad's wedding ring in a pawn shop and buys it back for her.
Speaking to TV Choice, North said: "He's so wrapped up in the whole baby thing that he doesn't realise how his behaviour is affecting Izzy. Of course, once he sees she's gone, he dashes to find her.
"Gary's trying too hard, taking it all too far. It's typical of him."
http://i2.cdnds.net/13/16/618x366/so...rie-8112-2.jpg
© ITV
Gary finds Tina's dad's wedding ring
North also revealed that Tommy Duckworth, who is hoping to get back together with Tina, will not be happy about his character's increasingly obsessive behaviour.
"I'm sure this could all boil over at some point. Tommy and Gary hate each other, but when Chris and I do scenes together, we always have an off-screen laugh about it.
"He might become obsessed with her. There's definitely that streak in him, which all comes back to his post-traumatic stress. It depends which way the writers want to go with it. It's nice that the script is getting juicy now!"
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Coronation Street star Mikey North has revealed that he is dreading working with a baby on the set.
Tina (Michelle Keegan) is carrying a baby for Gary and his girlfriend Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston) as part of a surrogacy storyline.
However, North has revealed that he isn't very good with babies and so is not looking forward to his alter ego becoming a father.
"I'm good with toddlers but I'm not so good with babies, so I'm dreading it," he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Despite his reservations about becoming an on-screen dad, North admits that having to go to antenatal classes as part of Gary's storyline was eye-opening for him.
"To see all these couples, touchy-feely and all that, is a different experience.
"Izzy's a bit dubious about going and has a bit of a bad time because she feels like she shouldn't be there."
North recently revealed that Gary could become obsessed with Tina.
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Wasnt Gary after Tina also when she was David?
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Coronation Street's Mikey North has revealed that he would like a role in Homeland.
The actor - who plays Gary Windass in the ITV soap - added jokingly that there are not enough ginger actors in Hollywood, PA reports.
He said: "I want to go into Homeland as Damian Lewis's brother because he's ginger as well. So I'm hoping he's going to get a younger brother and I can pop over and do that.
"There's not enough gingers in Hollywood. They all seem to be in Corrie for some reason!"
Fans of Coronation Street have recently seen Gary develop feelings for Tina McIntyre, the surrogate mother for his and Izzie Armstrong's baby.
North said that he hopes the fallout from Gary's confused feelings will see a return of his character's post-traumatic stress disorder.
"That's how I prefer to play it. It's more interesting that way. So I hope this is the start of him getting back to how he used to be," he said.
"But obviously there's a baby involved and that's got to be resolved first. That's got to take his priority."
Coronation Street continues on Monday (April 29) at 7.30pm on ITV.
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CORRIE actor Mikey North says it’s time his character Gary Windass reclaimed his bad boy credentials.
Viewers have seen a gentler side to labourer Gary since he decided to become a dad.
But Mikey misses the wild days that saw his character in trouble with the police and constantly feuding with David Platt (Jack P Shepherd).
He said: “Gary was brought in as a bad lad, but different producers have different views and the last producer wanted to show a different side to him.
“People used to see him as Jack the lad and the reaction was always, ‘Go on, give David one from me’. But I’m more popular with the grannies now.
“There were times recently when I was watching and thinking, ‘I’ve got too nice now — I’ve got to rein that back.’
“Even I was getting sick of myself being nice. I need to try to put some sort of edgy element in — all this mushy stuff’s just not for me.”
And he welcomed the return of Gary’s darker side which sees the ex-squaddie make a move on Tina McIntyre, who is being a surrogate mum for him and girlfriend Izzy, after a boozy Army reunion.
He said: “When Gary and Tina started going to ante-natal classes he began to get closer to her because he was doing all that with her and not with Izzy.
“Tina likes the fact somebody is caring for her — but he misreads that as though she’s developing real feelings for him.
“He goes out with his old squaddie mates to commemorate the death of his friend who died in Afghanistan.
“He comes back drunk and makes a pass at Tina and she goes mental. He is beside himself with guilt and begs Tina to keep it quiet and she reluctantly agrees.
“But Tina confides in Tommy, Ryan overhears Tina and Gary rowing at the builder’s yard and realises what has happened — and then Katy finds out.
“Basically everyone knows but Izzy and Gary is just desperate to keep it secret.”
If Izzy’s dad Owen gets wind of what has happened there’s bound to be blood on the cobbles and Mikey is no stranger to onscreen fights. Gary’s latest dust-up was with Ryan Connor, played by Sol Heras, and weeks after the scene Mikey admits he is still nursing bruises.
He said: “I’ve had seven fights so far, maybe more — all knockouts, no defeats.
“The punch-up with Sol was great, he really went for it — I’ve a scar on my hand as a result.
“Me and Sol agreed beforehand we’d make it as realistic as possible, so we rugby-tackled each other into a wall. Then I threw a punch and my hand smashed into the wall behind him.”
With his character’s history of brawling, some viewers wrongly assume Mikey is as much of a troublemaker as Gary.
Mikey said: “In Manchester everyone is lovely. I get more trouble in smaller towns — people seem to believe I am Gary and want to kick my head in.
“It’s taken a few years to know how to deal with it. I try to keep myself to myself and not invite attention in. It’s important to keep your feet on the ground.”
In Corrie, Mikey admits he’s dreading Gary becoming a dad after Tina (Michelle Keegan) gives birth later this month.
He revealed: “I’m not looking forward to playing a dad at all.
“I might have to hand in my resignation before the baby is born,” he joked.
“I’ve never had to deal with a baby in my life before, let alone act with one. There are no babies in my family. I’ve never changed a nappy and nor do I want to. I don’t even know how to hold a baby — I’m just hoping Gary has never held one either so if it looks a bit unnatural it won’t matter.”
“I’m going to have to find out what to do — if I was the parent of the baby playing my son I wouldn’t be that keen to hand him over to me.”
Single Mikey added: “When I was growing up I always said I’d be married with a kid by 25 but it’s way too young.
“I’m still 18 in my head, not 26. I go partying at weekends way too much to settle down — I wouldn’t be responsible enough to be a dad just yet.”
Mikey’s character arrived on the cobbles in 2008 and had flings with Rosie Webster and Kylie Platt before settling down with Izzy (Cherylee Houston). Of his real-life romances, he said: “I don’t seem to attract bad girls. I do prefer the nice girls and it seems it’s the nicer girls who are attracted to me.
“I can always tell if people are simply after somebody on television or genuinely after me, so I haven’t had any bad experiences.
“I read all the kiss-and-tell stories and I can’t imagine any girl I’ve been with doing that.
“Besides, I’ve been a relationship man ever since I was young. I’ve been single on-and-off for six months but before that I had three or four long-term relationships. So I need a bit of time on my own now.”
Mikey grew up on the North Yorkshire coast with his bank manager dad Martin, his admin worker mum Karen and sister Sarah and as a youngster he played cricket for Yorkshire.
Interested in drama, he wrote to every acting agent in the country when he reached 18. One replied, took him on and got him a job in a London play.
He recalls: “It was a big break — goodness knows why they chose me. I won Best Newcomer at the British Theatre Guide Awards that year. I got a lot of work on the back of that.”
At 19 he landed his first TV role in The Bill. He said: “I played a scally — I cornered the market in them at that time.”
Brief appearances in Doctors, Waterloo Road and Britannia High followed before he joined Coronation Street and Mikey winces at the memory of his early days on the soap.
He said: “At the start Gary used to dress in Burberry and Rockport — all the stuff I used to wear myself.
“When I was 14 I was a complete chav. I had tramlines shaved into my eyebrows, bleached blonde hair and my collars turned up on my T-shirts.”
He laughed: “I looked just like Eminem. I think when I first started as Gary I was almost an extension of myself.”
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz2SZSvfjev
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I think he is really good. He is good at being a bad lad and this new sinister side that we seem to be seeing recently,
