CORONATION Street has revealed a series of devastating flashbacks for Debbie Webster as she discovers she may have young onset dementia.
The businesswoman – who is played by actress Sue Devaney in the ITV soap – has been suffering from memory loss and changes in personality recently.
Viewers have seen as Debbie as spaced out in conversations, be found collapsed in an alleyway and forget things that have happened to her.
In today’s episode the entire first part was Debbie’s appointment with the doctor to find out what would wrong.
“I’m scared,” she told the doctor as he ran her through her symptoms.
He told her that it sounded like she’d had a TIA [transient ischaemic attacks] – essentially a mini stroke.
And after getting more information from her – he delivered his worrying verdict.
He said: “I’m not in a position to make a concrete diagnosis hence the referral.
“My concern is that the body of your symptoms, together with the TIA, might indicate the early onset of dementia.”
Debbie was devastated – but decided to keep the news a secret until she knew more.
Actress Sue recently opened up about the storyline explaining where Debbie’s head is at.
“Debbie starts losing things, like her purse, which she later finds in the fridge,” she said.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Debbie Webster’s to be diagnosed with dementia in harrowing Coronation Street storyline” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6370842164112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“She’s behaving erratically and shouting a lot, even at her loved ones, in a way that feels out of control.
“But I think the biggest thing, when I first read the script, was the TIAs [transient ischaemic attacks]. She has these mini-strokes, falls over, and tries to ignore it.”
She added: “It’s when Debbie sees a specialist that she realises something isn’t right because her thinking starts to change.
“She probably thinks it’s just the menopause, being of a certain age. That is until she talks to the specialist.
“But I think Debbie is in denial and wants to pretend everything is alright until it’s not. She’s a protector of her family, even though she doesn’t have children. She doesn’t want to worry them. It’s like her world is being exploded.
“Also, people will treat you differently. She wants people to see her as the Debbie they know, the one who is in control and running a business. She doesn’t want them to see her as someone else.”