LUCY Fallon reveals ALL about “scary” weight loss jabs, surprise pregnancies and the reality show she’d love to do.
In our exclusive chat, the Corrie favourite also talks about the future of soaps, leaking storylines and why she’s hoping her man will propose soon.
The National Television Awards are the diamond in the crown of the small-screen calendar – when the industry’s finest toast their triumphs before a VIP party that drifts into dawn.
But last month, when Coronation Street’s Lucy Fallon travelled to London for this year’s bash, she swerved the after-parties for a child-free night alone in a hotel with a takeaway.
“I didn’t feel well, but I forced myself to go because I thought, ‘I want to stay in a hotel on my own for the night. If I don’t, I’m still at home looking after the children, which is harder’,” laughs Lucy, who shares Sonny Jude, two, and nine-month-old Nancy with Huddersfield Town captain and midfielder Ryan Ledson.
“It sounds quite bad, because I probably passed [the flu] on to everybody, but selfishly, I wanted the night in the hotel with a takeaway!” she continues.
“After the ceremony, I was like, ‘Bye!’ Then I ordered a Wingstop and didn’t have a sip of alcohol.”
Her evening sums up how full-on life has been lately.
Not only are Lucy, 29, and Ryan, 28, living with his parents while renovating their own home near Ormskirk, West Lancashire, but in July – seven months after welcoming baby Nancy – it was announced she’d be reprising her role as Bethany Platt.
“I feel like we did everything at once – have a baby, move house, then I’m back to work quite quickly. It’s a lot, you know? It’s definitely harder trying to juggle two kids, my work, Ryan’s work,” says Lucy, who joined the soap aged 19 in 2015, in her first-ever acting job.
Within two years, she was at the heart of one of Corrie’s most harrowing and talked-about story lines when Bethany was groomed, abused and forced into a sex-trafficking ring.
The plot and performance earned Lucy critical acclaim and a shelf of gongs, including two British Soap Awards, an Inside Soap Award and an NTA.
Lucy Fallon looks incredible in all denim outfit as she shows off toned figure just WEEKS after giving birth
“I’ve not won one since,” she grins.
“Obviously, other things have happened to [Bethany], but nothing is going to be as big as that.”
When Lucy walked away from the soap in 2020 to pursue new acting avenues, opportunities arose, including ITV reality mini-series Don’t Rock The Boat, then ITV’s drama Tom Jones.
I don’t plan on leaving Corrie to do other things
Lucy
But three years later, she was back.
And now, unlike former Corrie stars such as Michelle Keegan, Suranne Jones and Katherine Kelly who have all built lucrative post-soap acting careers, Lucy has no desire to spread her wings outside of Weatherfield.
“I don’t plan on leaving Corrie to do other things. In the past, I wanted to try maybe a drama – and I did that in the time that I was away – but [elsewhere] you don’t get the friendships.
“I’ve gone back and it’s so familiar. I feel so comfortable, it’s consistent, I get to drive from home to work and then go back home to my children.”
That’s not to say she wouldn’t jump at a mini detour into reality TV.
“Obviously, Strictly is more complicated because it’s BBC, but I would love to do the jungle,” says Lucy.
“I’m happy to stay at Corrie and do these other things like that, just as life experiences.”
Off screen has been an equally eventful ride for Lucy since finding love with Ryan.
I was in the green room with everybody and they were talking about story lines, and I felt tears falling
Lucy
They met on so-called “celebrity Tinder” dating app Raya at the end of 2020, following her split from actor Tom Leech, and within months she was pregnant.
Sadly, Lucy suffered a miscarriage, but after conceiving again, the couple welcomed Sonny in January 2023, and just over a year later, Lucy accidentally fell pregnant with Nancy – news she says was terrified of sharing with her Corrie bosses.
“I was in the green room with everybody and they were talking about story lines, and I felt tears falling,” recalls Lucy.
“I called Caroline, our cast liaison, and she was like, ‘This [pregnancy] is good news. Why are you crying?’ Then I went into the producer’s office in tears and she was obviously really nice about it. I’d built it up, thinking everyone was going to be so annoyed.”
Since returning from maternity leave, Lucy says she hasn’t been filming for more than two consecutive days at a time – something she secretly enjoys.
“It’s quite a nice break,” she chuckles. “I’ve found it harder – much harder – this time around with two.
“Yesterday and the day before, I was in The Rovers, I didn’t really have anything to say. I was just watching it all unfold. Obviously, if I was given a story line, great! But, equally, if I’m having a nice time with the Platts, that’s perfect.”
This month, Lucy sparked headlines after seemingly leaking a spoiler that Doctor Who star Amy Cudden was joining the cast.
She posted a “Spend The Day with Me” Instagram reel that showed Amy’s name above a dressing-room mirror, two days before she arrived on the Street playing DSI Lisa Swain’s wife, Becky Swain.
“Oh my god, yeah,” says Lucy.
“Someone tagged me in a social post saying, ‘Lucy Fallon comes back after having a baby and leaks the biggest story line in Corrie.’
I was like, ‘What the hell are they talking about? What have I done?’ But honestly, nobody would have known what character that name belonged to – it wasn’t even a spoiler at that point.”
Over the years, Bethany’s most dramatic story lines have included trauma after escaping the sex ring, self-harm, a stint in a lap-dancing club and a messy love triangle with Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) and Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard).
I know so many people who don’t need to be taking weight-loss jabs that are
Lucy
Now, Lucy has ideas about where scriptwriters should take her next.
“Weight-loss jabs would be a really good one, because I know so many people who don’t need to be taking weight-loss jabs that are, and it’s something that [Bethany] would 100% do,” she says.
“It’s scary. It [feels like we’re] going back to the Kate Moss vibes.”
It’s little surprise then that Lucy didn’t turn to the jabs herself to lose any weight post-pregnancy.
Aside from being put off by one of the drug’s common side effects – “I’ve heard that these things make you really sick, which is my biggest fear ever” – Lucy was mindful of not succumbing to societal pressure.
“You have literally just created a whole human being, you’re tired, you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding and you’re up in the night. We put too much pressure on ourselves, that we need to get [our old body] back and it’s just not what is important.”
Instead of any drastic weight-loss measures, for the past two months Lucy has been quietly rebuilding her strength with three weekly sessions of Reformer Pilates.
This relationship is completely different to anything I’ve ever experienced before, in terms of happiness. There are no problems, nothing’s an issue. It’s just easy
Lucy
“It’s my new thing,” she smiles. “I’ve never been a gym person. I don’t know how to use the equipment. I get really ashamed and embarrassed. But this, I actually enjoy.
“At first it was really hard, but now I don’t struggle as much. I definitely feel stronger but, most of all, I don’t dread it and I feel like I have achieved something!”
That sense of satisfaction spills into the rest of her life, too.
“I feel like I’m enjoying this season,” she says. “I’ve found a lot of fulfilment with having children, but also in my relationship and life in general.”
I just want to not be pregnant, to have loads of fun and not take things too seriously
Lucy
Last summer, Lucy insisted she only had plans for two children. Is her mindset still the same?
“For. Sure,” she replies, pausing to punctuate her words for extra emphasis.
“I’ve got one of each. If we’d had another boy, I’d have been like, ‘Hmm. . .’ I was a bit desperate for a girl. I know people apparently aren’t allowed to say that, but I was! And then we got one.”
The benefits of starting a family young isn’t lost on Lucy.
She’s already set on exploring the world with Ryan in midlife, once their little ones have grown and flown.
“I’ve always wanted to go travelling, so now that we’ve had kids, when they’re older, we can do it when we’re in our 50s,” she says, adding that she has no regrets about starting a family so soon into their relationship.
“I get why it looks like [a whirlwind], but everything has happened so naturally. This relationship is completely different to anything I’ve ever experienced before, in terms of happiness. There are no problems, nothing’s an issue. It’s just easy.”
Yet one sticking point remains. In the past, Lucy has made no secret of her hopes for a wedding proposal, and last year even declared: “I just want to wear the nice ring. I’m not even really bothered about the wedding.”
There’s a negative narrative about people not watching soaps – but that’s not true
Lucy
Has her dream bling materialised since?
“Definitely not,” she says, before the ITV publicist observing the interview gently suggests saying no more to avoid being discourteous to Ryan.
Perhaps he just needs to take engagement action?
“Well, he does and I think he knows that,” says Lucy. “And that’s why he’s stressed about it!”
The next big celebration is Lucy’s 30th birthday next month – a milestone she’s buzzing about.
“My 20s are going to be dead and buried. Goodbye!” she laughs.
“[This decade] I just want to not be pregnant, to have loads of fun, not take things too seriously, for everyone to be really healthy and happy, and hopefully stay at Corrie.”
And if she needs any reminder that she’s still young at heart, playing Bethany – who is five years her junior – provides it.
“I don’t feel my age, especially when I’m at work. I feel like I’m a teenager. Tanisha Gorey [who plays Asha], always says, ‘I can’t believe you’re an adult with two kids,’ and I’m like, ‘Same!’ Then I go home and I’m like, ‘Oh, these children belong to me and they need me for everything!’”
As for the future of Coronation Street, which turns 65 in December, Lucy brushes off speculation that the show is in crisis, reportedly largely due to budget cuts and stiff competition created by streaming giants including Netflix and Apple TV+.
“There’s a negative narrative about the soaps, [claiming that] people don’t watch them – but that’s actually not true,” says Lucy.
“We got an email recently about the ratings – Corrie and Emmerdale for the month of August had around 40 million streams. Corrie was like the most-streamed thing on ITVX. Watching it at the same time every night is not always what people can do any more, but being able to watch it when people want to watch it, it’s for the better.”
What of EastEnders cleaning up at this year’s NTAs? The rival BBC soap won Best Serial Drama, while Steve McFadden, who’s played Phil Mitchell for 35 years, beat Jack P. Shepherd, Emmerdale’s Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster) and his fellow Albert Square star Jacqueline Jossa (Lauren Branning) to scoop Best Serial Drama Performance.
“Admittedly, I don’t watch EastEnders, but obviously they’re doing amazing things, so they deserve to win, just as much as Jack or Sue deserve it,” replies Lucy, before squashing any suggestion of cast disappointment.
“Obviously, the awards are exciting and it’s nice to go, but no one’s actually that bothered if you don’t win.”
Which makes Lucy’s one-woman after-party the biggest NTA victory of all.
