'Coronation Street' Debbie Rush: 'I was passionate over slap plot'

Coronation Street star Debbie Rush has revealed that she shares her character's anti-smacking views.

The actress's alter ego Anna Windass is left horrified later this week as she discovers that her boyfriend Owen (Ian Puleston-Davies) has slapped her adopted daughter Faye (Ellie-Louise Leach) on the back of the legs.

Owen carried out the punishment in Monday night's double bill of the soap after finding out that Faye had used creosote to poison his fish pond, killing his new pets.

Anna's romance with Owen will hit the rocks in upcoming episodes as she is furious over his behaviour.

Asked whether she would feel the same way in real life, Rush told Loose Women today: "Completely 100%. That's why I was so passionate about doing it. It was written beautifully, but it was so easy to deliver from my point of view, because I meant every word of it."

The mum-of-three continued: "I think if you smack a child, you're smacking a child because they've done something that you disagree with and that you're not happy with. If you smack a woman, you're smacking a woman because you disagree… and I think to smack a child is the same as to smack a woman. It's because you don't like what they've done, so you're letting them know."



Rush added that she feels Owen's actions were particularly wrong as Faye is not his daughter.

"He's only a boyfriend - it's not his place, full stop," she commented.

Rush recently told Digital Spy that the storyline's repercussions would be huge for Anna and Owen.

"Anna is absolutely devastated, because she really trusted Owen," she explained. "Anna doesn't believe in smacking children full-stop - she's part of the 'Full Stop' campaign. So she's absolutely distraught and devastated that Owen has done this."

Coronation Street continues on Thursday at 8.30pm on ITV1.

> Coronation Street couple hit the rocks in parenting plot
> Coronation Street actor: 'Producers were careful with slapping plot'
> Coronation Street defends Owen, Faye slap plot after complaints
> Coronation Street Ian Puleston-Davies hits back at plot complaints
> Read more Coronation Street news and spoilers

Watch a preview of Friday night's Coronation Street double bill in the video below: