Coronation Street’s Olivia Frances-Brown: “Jodie idolises Shona so much”

Olivia Frances-Brown has claimed that her Coronation Street character Jodie “idolises” her sister Shona (Julia Goulding).

Since her Weatherfield debut earlier this year, Jodie has brought relentless chaos to the cobbles – including manipulation, theft, gaslighting, bullying children and even committing GBH on Shona’s sister-in-law.

Nevertheless Jodie – a character widely disliked by Corrie fans – remains an accepted part of the Platt household and in recent weeks she has used the situation to isolate Shona, convincing her that she is losing her mind, while getting closer to Shona’s husband David (Jack P Shepherd).

In next week’s episodes the tensions come to a head as the sisters face off in a heated confrontation that leaves one person stricken down by a gunshot.

Attempting to explain Jodie’s mindset, Frances-Brown said: “Jodie idolises Shona so much that she literally wants to step into her shoes, take over her life and know what that feels like. By taking over David, the house, the role with Harper – she genuinely wants to know how it feels to be Shona.

“She loves her sister, but she wishes Shona had treated her differently throughout her life. There’s a deep need to get her own back and have some sort of revenge. As much as she cares about their relationship, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the happiness she feels she deserves.”

Turning to the Jodie-Shona showdown, she continued: “When pushed, you just don’t know what she’s capable of. She has a lot of dark secrets, she’s seen a lot and she has a genuinely sinister side to her. She’s driven herself completely crazy with this huge fantasy. It’s not rooted in reality anymore, she’s completely lost her marbles.”

New episodes of Coronation Street arrive weekdays at 7am on ITVX and also air the same night at 8.30pm on ITV1.