Coronation Street star Natalie Anderson has explained why Todd Grimshaw’s plan to bolster his relationship with Theo Silverton will land him in huge trouble.
Todd and Theo have developed a romantic bond over the past few months, though matters were confused after Theo’s wife, Danielle, arrived in Weatherfield and caused quite the commotion.
Earlier this week, Noah Hedley – who had previously practiced conversion therapy on Theo – returned to the cobbled streets, with next week’s scenes seeing Theo discover that Noah is in a relationship with his estranged wife.
Anderson, who made her debut as Danielle in April, teased details of the upcoming scenes, sharing: “Danielle believes she’s meeting Theo and the children for lunch – she’s actually really excited about them being a family unit again and sitting down together.
“That’s great and positive for the children. And again, a reminder of what Theo is missing – this is what his life could be like. She wants to lull him into the dependable, familiar things. Then Todd shows up and announces it [Noah’s continuing practice of conversion therapy].
“The kids are upset, Danielle is fuming and feels she’s been led into a trap. Equally Theo thinks Todd has spoiled everything. It all gets a little bit heated, Miles in particular is very upset with Todd, he goes for him and Theo tries to stop him.
“In the melee this incident happens where Miles ends up with a bloody nose. For Danielle, Todd is at the root of all of this – whether it was an accident or not, Todd has spoiled this and is the thorn in their side.”
With Theo accidentally injuring his own son, tensions are understandably at an all-time high, though Anderson explained that Danielle wouldn’t necessarily be surprised by Theo’s temper given their “tempestuous” relationship.
“Danielle is quite confrontational. [She’s] not submissive in any way – she gives as good as she gets,” said the actor. “The violence [from Theo] is a little different [however], it’s a side of him [that] she thinks is a bit more out of control.
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍
“However, everything about him is different to her at the moment – he’s struggling with so much stuff… I don’t think there’s been violence within the family. There have probably been highly pressurised arguments, but this is the first time she’s seen actual violence.”
Given the extremity of Theo’s actions, Danielle makes the decision to ban him from seeing their children for the time being, though Todd tries – unsuccessfully – to have his partner reunited with his kids.
“Danielle is a mum, first and foremost – that’s her priority always,” explained Anderson. “Her kids are her life and she’ll do anything to protect them. When Todd reaches out, she does want to take that seriously because it’s beneficial for the children to see their dad.
“They start to get somewhere, until Todd tries to manipulate the situation and throws his little daggers in there. Danielle cannot tolerate that, he doesn’t get to tell her about her family! She’s not having any of it and has to go back to the drawing board.
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍
“Todd has made a play directly for Theo and wants him to be with him. Couldn’t they have carried on behind closed doors, without having to break up a family? Why is he so intent on taking a husband away from his family and children?”
“That’s the bit she cannot forgive Todd for. He wants Theo all to himself and made him question his whole life and his family to question their lives,” concluded the actor, who teased that the scenes with co-star Gareth Pierce were “brilliant” to film.