Corrie star on toll of role - 'It's taken me a long time to have thick skin'

Daily Mirror

5 hours ago

Thrown into the spotlight in Coronation Street as Lauren Bolton, Cait Fitton reflected on the toll her soap role has had as she admits she sometimes struggles with the fame.
She's been a regular face on the cobbles since 2022, but Cait Fitton admits that she's had to prepare herself for the tougher aspects of soap fame.
Cait Fitton has recently teased that peace on the cobbles won't last long for her Coronation Street alter ego, Lauren Bolton. 'She's at a really stable point of her life.
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She has a job at the Rovers behind the bar and she's learning the craft,' Cait says, 'She's trying to build relationships. That's where the party comes in.'
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What begins as a chance to let loose quickly spirals into disaster for Lauren. The chaos kicks off when Aadi (Adam Hussain), nudged by Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove), throws a midsummer party.
Lauren turns up alongside Summer, Nina and Brody. But things take a dark turn when Brody, played by Ryan Mulvey, starts dealing LSD at the party.
'Lauren doesn't even know what is going on,' Cait says, 'She has anxiety over whether or not she should even be there because she doesn't know anybody apart from Betsy. She seems out of place, though she tries her best to fit in.'
Then, she accidentally takes the drug. 'She has a traumatic experience with it,' Cait says, 'We see a side of her that we haven't seen for months.
Her trauma is going to affect her future. It's going to be a rollercoaster. Everybody at that party - their lives are going to be changed. I don't know how she'll go through it.'
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Cait says she enjoys the intensity of her soap scenes. But while she's thriving as Lauren, Cait acknowledges the emotional toll her role can take. 'It's taken me a long time to have thick skin, it's not an overnight process,' she says.
'We are normal people outside of filming, but everyone sees the characters as actual people. That can be really hard, especially with Lauren, who is a complex character.'
she's lost her boyfriend and confidant Max Turner, played by Paddy Bever, after his arrest and imprisonment for arson. 'It's been really hard without Paddy,' Cait says.
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'My journey started with him and his time ended with me. It was strange to wrap my head around doing scenes without him. I miss working with Paddy.'
Still, the pair remain close. 'I am in touch with him,' she says, 'We're both very busy, but we do catch up. We are in need of an in-person catch-up soon.'
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In Paddy's absence, Lauren's found a new on-screen ally in Betsy Swain, played by Sydney Martin - and Cait couldn't be more grateful. 'Sydney has a beautiful aura to be around,' says Cait.
'She's so positive and the best person to go to for advice. I had that with Paddy but being with a girl who is the same age as you is different. We clicked straight away. We're always looking for each other at work. She's like my home.'
The pair share creative moments together - they've even lined up a pottery date. But Cait has also benefitted from the support of multiple other co-stars, from Roy Cropper actor David Neilson to Alison King, aka Carla Connor.