Coronation Street actress Channique Sterling-Brown has spoken out about the absence of her character Dee-Dee Bailey’s mother amidst a challenging storyline.
Recently, Dee-Dee, portrayed by 27-year-old Channique, prematurely gave birth to a baby girl after her symptoms were overlooked by medical professionals.
Eventually, Dee-Dee was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, leading to an emergency caesarean. However, when her symptoms continued to be ignored, she collapsed and had to undergo emergency surgery.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Dee-Dee was informed that she had experienced a haemorrhage and doctors had carried out an emergency hysterectomy.
While Dee-Dee grapples with anger and devastation over her treatment, her family and friends rally around her. Yet, viewers have been puzzled by the absence of Dee-Dee’s mother, Aggie Bailey, reports Leicestershire Live.
Aggie was last seen in 2023 when she left for Birmingham to look after a sick relative. She was mentioned again in 2024, when it was revealed off-screen that she had ended her marriage to Ed Bailey due to his gambling addiction.
Discussing Dee-Dee’s maternal figure on Friday’s episode of ITV vodcast Off Script with Kelvin and Liz Fletcher, Channique revealed that Debbie Webster is now the only motherly figure for her character in the soap.
When host Liz asked Channique about working with Sue Devaney, who plays Debbie, she responded: “It’s been great, I love working with Sue, she is just such a giver as an actor anyway.
“We’ve had a few scenes, we had a scene a few weeks ago where Dee-Dee’s not feeling well and she takes her home and she kind of gives her a little pep talk.
“Dee-Dee’s mum is not on the scene so me and Sue were like: ‘It’s like you’re her only mum figure in the family now.’
“So we love their little bond and we’ve got some more scenes coming up, especially about the baby and the dementia, there will be stuff in the future as well.”
The storyline has sparked reactions from viewers on Twitter, now X, who expressed their bewilderment over Dee-Dee’s mother, Aggie, being absent during her daughter’s time of need.
One viewer questioned: “Why hasn’t Aggie come back to see DeeDee? #Corrie”, while another commented: “Still no phone call from Dee Dee’s mum, Aggie then, to check and see how her daughter is doing? How ridiculous #Corrie” and yet another remarked: “No mention of Aggie Dee Dees mum.#Corrie.”
In upcoming episodes, Dee-Dee is seen attending a meeting with a representative from the Patient Advice and Liaison Service who confirms they are looking into her complaint and points the finger at Zoe, the midwife.
However, as the week progresses, Dee-Dee confides in Alya that despite her efforts, the hospital’s investigation concludes without finding any fault. Resolute, Dee-Dee declares that if the hospital won’t hold Zoe accountable, then she will take matters into her own hands.
