Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent)

[Perdita]

Coronation Street bosses were forced to bring in a body double for cast member Katy Cavanagh while filming Sophie and Sian's wedding scenes, according to a report.

Cavanagh, who plays eccentric Julie Carp on the ITV1 soap, was struck down with severe stomach pains ahead of the on-location shoot and had to take time off work, The Mirror claims.

It is thought that Coronation Street chiefs quickly recruited a stand-in for Cavanagh, who was filmed from behind in all of her scenes. Plans to give Julie lines at the ceremony had to be scrapped.

A Coronation Street source told the newspaper: "Viewers won't know it's not Katy because the stand-in looked identical from behind - her hair was styled in the same way.

"She is a very popular member of the cast and people are wishing her a speedy return."

Brooke Vincent, Sacha Parkinson and other Coronation Street stars were spotted filming Sophie and Sian's wedding in Hale, Cheshire last week.

However, reports suggest that the big day does not go according to plan - leading up to Sian's departure from Weatherfield.

[alan45]

Coronation Street's Sophie Webster will have a bitter clash with Amber Kalirai in a forthcoming episode, a report has claimed.

The pair, played by Brooke Vincent and Nikki Patel, have become close in recent months but will fall out in the aftermath of Sophie's ill-fated wedding day, according to the Daily Star.

Sophie's friends and family gather to watch her tie the knot with Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson) next month, but reports suggest that she doesn't go through with the ceremony as she is confused about her feelings for Amber.

When her relationship with Sian hits the rocks, it is thought that Sophie blames Amber for everything - unhappy that she messed with her head by kissing her on a recent night out.

The newspaper claims that Sophie soon ends up fighting with Amber on the street, before shouting that the shop girl is a secret lesbian in front of shocked residents.

A Coronation Street source commented: "[Amber] can't believe Sophie's dropped her in it. Amber is straight - she's not confused like Sophie's claiming. It creates a massive headache for her because her dad is far from happy."

Coronation Street's cast and crew filmed Sophie and Sian's wedding day scenes on location in Hale, Cheshire earlier this month.

[Perdita]

CORRIE’s Brooke Vincent has told how the soap’s cast are rallying around troubled co-star Michael Le Vell.

Brooke, 19, lesbian Sophie Webster in the soap, insists the Corrie cast is “100 per cent” behind Le Vell, who is facing child rape allegations which he vigorously denies.

The People have revealed that Le Vell, 47, who plays mechanic Kevin, has *separated from Beverley, his wife of 25 years.

Their plush four-bedroom home in Hale, Cheshire, is up for sale for £775,000.

Brooke said: “We all love Michael to bits and are behind him. He’s a great guy.” Dad-of-two Le Vell, on bail until next month, was welcomed with open arms by the cast at last week’s Christmas party.

And Brooke insisted he is getting his life back on track and said: “He’s on top form at the moment.”

And she told The People how she can’t wait to spend Christmas with her soccer star boyfriend, Chelsea’s Josh McEachran, 18.

Lesbian

The pair have been dating since May and Brooke doesn’t mind in the least being branded a WAG.

She said: “At first being called a WAG was a big thing but now it is nothing. Everyone I’ve met and all the other girlfriends are really lovely.

“I get called a lesbian more than I get called a WAG and that doesn’t bother me either. I don’t mind being called a lesbian because it means *people have been watching the *programme and like it. I wouldn’t swing the other way like my character.The high point this year is getting my screen wedding over and done with.

“That was amazing to film. There haven’t been any real low points. I don’t let little things get me down.”

Brooke is looking forward to putting her feet up over Christmas with Josh.

But in the future she is keen to follow in the footsteps of Corrie’s Antony Cotton who was an I’m A Celeb star.

“We are like a big family on Corrie which made watching Antony in the jungle even more exciting.”

But ITV1’s Dancing On Ice and not the jungle tops her wish list. She said: “I’d like to do reality TV, I definitely wouldn’t say no, the jungle is hard and Strictly is hard.

“I think I would like to do Dancing on Ice because you learn something as well.

“I’ve only ever danced in clubs, never on ice, so it would be a challenge.”

The People

[alan45]

Coronation Street couple Sophie Webster and Sian Powers take centre stage on the soap next week as their wedding day arrives.

Sophie is hoping that she can put her feelings for Amber (Nikki Patel) behind her by tying the knot with her long-term girlfriend. However, as Sian (Sacha Parkinson) will soon be leaving the cobbles, it looks like the day won't turn out as the pair had anticipated.

Here, Brooke Vincent - who plays Sophie - chats to Digital Spy about the big wedding episodes.

How do you feel about getting a big Corrie Christmas plot?
"It's amazing, because Christmas is a time where everybody's at home and everybody wants to watch Corrie. I've been here for seven years now and to still be in the Christmas episodes is brilliant. There hasn't been a year where I haven't been in the Christmas episodes, which is really cool."

How does Sophie feel about Sian in the build-up to the wedding?
"Sophie just really wants to get married and put all of the Amber stuff behind her. She's trying to make things right in her own head. Sophie feels that when she marries Sian, everything's going to be fine and she won't feel anything for Amber anymore."


What role does Amber play leading up to the ceremony?
"In the build-up to the wedding, Amber keeps getting in the way, but Sophie wants Amber to leave her alone so that she can concentrate on Sian now. The problem is, as soon as Sophie told Amber that she had feelings for her, Amber realised that she had some power over Sophie. So Amber knows that she can manipulate Sophie by threatening to tell people about her feelings.

"Also, on the night before the wedding, Amber takes Sophie outside and tries to kiss her. Sophie wonders what she's doing, but then they get interrupted. That's a relief for Sophie, because we don't know whether she would have been tempted if they hadn't been."

What do Sally and the other Websters think about the wedding?
"Sophie's really pleased, because they are all really, really supportive. At the hen party, Sally makes a speech and says that the family are really proud of Sophie and really proud of Sian.

"That's the one thing that Sophie has always wanted to hear from her mum, so it's really nice. Sophie's always felt that she's let her mum down and that Rosie's always been the big star of the family, so to hear Sally say this is quite a big moment for her."

Sian's family are a bit less supportive, though…
"Yeah, Sian's dad decides that he isn't going to the wedding, which is a bit of a down point for them. When they find out, Sophie suggests that they could postpone the wedding until Sian's dad accepts it. But Sian goes mad over that idea and says that she wants the wedding to go ahead. It's all a bit crazy in the build-up to the wedding - there's lots of ups and downs! But by the time the wedding day arrives, they're both alright."


What was it like to film the actual wedding episodes?
"On the first day, there was a massive buzz - there always is when we're out on location. We were both in these massive dresses, and there was just a really nice vibe as everyone was excited. We wanted the atmosphere to be really nice and really light, as a teenage wedding would be. It was a lot of fun - really, really good."

What can you tell us about what happens in the church?
"To be honest, I think everyone thinks that the wedding collapses in the church and Sophie runs away, but it's not like that. I can't wait for everybody to watch and see what actually happens! A lot of people I've spoken to think that everything comes out in the church, there's a big drama and it all kicks off, but that's not the case.

"You'll have to tune in and see what really happens. It's quite fun, as people know that Sacha's leaving but they don't know how she leaves. People seem to think that her last scenes are the ones at the church, but they're not…"


Sophie and Sian's storyline has developed such a strong following. Did you ever expect it to prove so popular?
"I didn't - I honestly thought that we'd have more flak than praise. The reaction has been such a relief and it's made us so proud to be part of it all. There's so much support on Twitter, and we get presents, letters and cards sent in. To us, that's really, really nice. A lot of people have also said that the storyline has helped them, and there's nothing better than to think that we've helped people by just doing our job."

How has life on set changed for you since Sacha's departure?
"It's mad! We used to do nearly everything together. I think I'll get used to it but I'll definitely miss her. And with Helen leaving, the Websters will just be the three of us for a while. Sacha wants to go off and do different things, and I'm really backing her. I envy her in some ways to get up and do that - it shows that she's committed to what she wants to do. I'm 100% behind her."

Are you hoping that Sophie will stay single for a while once Sian has left?
"Yes, I don't want her to have another girlfriend for a while. In real life, if this happened with a boy, you wouldn't rush into another relationship straight away - so I think it should be the same here. I don't want them to say, 'Well, she's still a lesbian so we'll have to put her with another girl to show that' - because that's really not the case."


You've also asked fans not to blame Nikki Patel, who plays Amber, for Sophie and Sian breaking up…
"Yeah, there's been a lot of people on Twitter saying, 'I blame Amber', but if anything, it's Sophie's fault. Also, Sacha wanted to leave and they've written it so that Sian leaves as the good guy - while everyone else has to pick up the pieces.

"I know Nikki has had some bad comments from this, but I don't think that's fair at all because she's just come in to do her job. Nikki is lovely. Some people say, 'You only ever talk about Sacha and not Nikki', but that's because me and Sacha is all anyone seems to ask me about. I'm just as good friends with Nikki as I am with Sacha - we get on great. I hope people don't get Nikki confused with Amber and think that she's horrible - as she's really, really not."

Would you like to see Kevin and Sally reunite at some point in the future?
"I really like it when it's all of us together, so I'd like them to get back together. We have a laugh together on set and it's like a real family. In the story, it doesn't really matter to Sophie whether her parents are together or not, but in real life, I'm definitely in my comfort zone with Michael and Sally - they're like my real mum and dad."

Is it nice having your real-life cousin Ellie-Louise Leach, who plays Faye, on set now?
"Definitely. She's like a mini-me! I see her on set a lot and she's loving it. I think she likes the fact that I'm here in case she needs any help - even though we do end up arguing! (laughs) She's lovely, everybody likes her and she's working really hard - she always knows her lines and does a good job."

Will you be tuning in for these big Sophie and Sian episodes over Christmas?
"Yeah, I will be. So much effort has gone into them from the director, the script people, the editors, costume and make-up. I think it'll be really nice to see how it all comes together, because we're so used to filming scenes out of order. I'm looking forward to it!"

[alan45]

Coronation Street's Nikki Patel is leaving the soap, it has been confirmed.

The actress has already filmed her final scenes as Amber Kalirai, who will exit Weatherfield next month.


Amber was most recently involved in a lesbian love triangle with Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) and Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson).

"Nikki's part in the love triangle was a huge success, but the producers feel that the character has run her course. Nikki is a professional and she understands, although of course she is disappointed," a source told The People.

Amber will leave the Street after a series of rows with stepmum Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati).

A Coronation Street spokesperson added: "Nikki will be leaving us at the end of her contract, but viewers may see Amber again."

Vincent was recently offered a "mega-bucks" deal to stay at the soap.

[Chloe O'brien]

No great loss to the street. One down eight to go.

[tammyy2j]

She should take Sophie with her when she leaves both as dull as dishwater

[Chloe O'brien]

I don't mind Sophie she was just overshadowed a lot by Rawsie. Her character may change a bit now Rawsie has gone. I'd rather get rid of Michelle, Carla, Kirsty, Tracy and Stella & crew first.

[alan45]

I don't mind Sophie she was just overshadowed a lot by Rawsie. Her character may change a bit now Rawsie has gone. I'd rather get rid of Michelle, Carla, Kirsty, Tracy and Stella & crew first.

Great minds think alike.

[lizann]

I don't mind Sophie she was just overshadowed a lot by Rawsie. Her character may change a bit now Rawsie has gone. I'd rather get rid of Michelle, Carla, Kirsty, Tracy and Stella & crew first.

I wonder will she drop her lesbo phase now and jump the bones off Tommy or Jason?