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After almost a year of psychological abuse at the hands of Geoff Metcalfe (played by Ian Bartholomew), Yasmeen (Shelley King) will lash out at her husband, hitting him in the neck with a glass bottle. She will believe she has killed him and upcoming scenes will see her taken to police station and charged for attacking him. Ahead of the incredibly disturbing episode which airs tonight, actor Ian has shared a vital message to Coronation Street viewers offering advice and support regarding the storyline.
In a clip shared on the official Coronation Street YouTube channel, Ian began: “Hello, my name is Ian and I play a character called Geoff Metcalfe in Coronation Street.
“Let me tell you a little something about Geoff. He is a nasty piece of work because he abuses his partner Yasmeen.
“The kind of abuse that Geoff uses isn’t physical, it’s psychological. He messes with her head and that’s called coercive control and it’s a criminal offence.”
The actor continued: “Shelley King, who plays Yasmeen, myself along with the writers, storyliners and producers of Coronation Street have all done a great deal of research with the help of Women’s Aid and Independent Choices Greater Manchester because we wanted this storyline to be as realistic as possible.
READ MORE: Coronation Street fans puzzled why neighbours don’t hear Geoff’s abuse
“Women’s Aid have told me they have had many women contacting them asking for help because they have watched the programme and they realised that you don’t actually have to be hit to be abused.
“During this current pandemic and the lockdown that goes with it, many people are being forced to live in isolation with someone who is abusing them, a situation that is so terrifying it is almost impossible to imagine unless of course, it’s happening to you.
“It’s causing a rise in incidents of violent domestic abuse leading to serious injury and often worse.
“That’s why it is more important at this time than ever to share this information of the help available.”
“If prompted, press 55, on your phone. This will let the 999 operator know that it’s an emergency and that you are unable to speak because it’s not safe. Please remember this information, it’s very important.
“For everybody else, if you know of someone living with or suffering from domestic abuse, please let them know that they’re not on their own and there is help available out there for them.”
Actor Shelley also appeared on This Morning today to speak on the storyline and whether the role of Yasmeen has taken toll on her personally.
““I think that whatever you do, whether it’s theatre or film, you have to commit yourself totally to research and reality, particularly because we are so immediate in so that we don’t have huge amounts of rehearsal,” she shared.
“And so you really have to immerse yourself and we have been very lucky to have been talking to many many people who have been through this horrible form of abuse. It’s disturbing.”
Talking about Yasmeen attacking Geoff, Shelley added: “All Yasmeen is thinking of, in the scene that you will see tonight, is her survival and she really can’t remember, she is in deep shock. She really can’t remember exactly what has happened.
“All she can remember is Geoff and her being there. Geoff coming to her, the abuse continuing and then he’s on the floor. She doesn’t even remember the interim.”
Coronation Street airs tonight on ITV at 7.30pm.
If you have been affected by Yasmeen’s storyline, you can find advice and support at womensaid.org.uk.