Ever since Justin (played by Andrew Still) met Daisy (Charlotte Midgeley) in the hospital last year, Coronation Street fans have witnessed him become increasingly obsessed with the barmaid. Not taking no for an answer, the stalker has terrorised the bride-to-be for months with it all coming to a head this month with a harrowing acid attack. Speaking to Express.co.uk, actor Andrew Still detailed the breaking point driving his character to such drastic measures.
As ITV viewers have watched Daisy become the victim of stalking, the Weatherfield police have provided little to no help with her situation.
This month Justin tried a different tactic in an attempt to get sympathy from Daisy, explaining he had come from his mother’s funeral and asked if she’d go with him to the wake.
Having enough, she whipped her phone out and live-streamed him to her social media followers to show him what it’s like to have your privacy taken away which resulted in Justin storming off.
Later on, his sister Karen (Lynn Kennedy) arrived at the pub to warn Daisy about Justin and how dangerous he could be.
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Knowing the authorities wouldn’t do anything unless he physically hurt her, the barmaid decided to take action herself with the help of her fiancé Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard).
Luring Justin to Victoria Gardens on the same day, Daisy goaded her stalker to get a reaction which was successful as he was arrested by PC Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) after lunging at her.
Although, in scenes set to air next week Coronation Street viewers will see Justin released in time for Daisy’s big wedding day as he decided to take sinister revenge by targetting her in an acid attack.
Speaking to Express.co.uk and other media publications, actor Andrew elaborated on the moment in the storyline which drove Justin to take such horrific measures.
The soap star commented: “He’s kind of finally starting to take on board all the things Daisy’s been saying over the course of the last few weeks.
“They’re never going to be together and she doesn’t want anything to do with him.
“As that’s all sinking in, that’s hurting his pride and his ego. It’s piling on top of all this hurt and being publicly embarrassed and being kicked out of [Justin’s mum’s] wake.”
Andrew mentioned along with Justin’s ego being dented, he’s jealous of Daisy’s upcoming wedding to Daniel and the fact she has the rest of her life to look forward to.
He continued: “His world is sort of crumbling around him. I think in that time, he’s starting to think up ways to hurt her the way that she’s hurt him.”
Speaking about the acid attack, Andrew touched on how he believes Justin will react to what he’s just done.
The actor added: “Afterwards, I think he’s going to make all sorts of excuses to justify in his head why he did this.
“But this an act of hate, there’s no love in this, it’s definitely an act of hate.
“The wedding’s been in his head, he knows about the wedding, for me, it’s more about the breaking point, the clash they had in Victoria Gardens.
“That’s the thing that sets him off when he’s put his hands on her.
“He has done it before, but not in a violent way. It crosses a boundary that hasn’t been crossed in a way before.”
Working alongside The Katie Piper Foundation and Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), Coronation Street decided to tell this story to highlight the devastating impact and long-lasting effects of such heinous attacks.
On the importance of tackling this storyline, Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod said: “We were keen to show the long-term reality for people who are subjected to this kind of attack.
“It is something we might often read about in the papers but perhaps don’t fully understand, in terms of the depth and variety of effects it can have.
“As well as the medical impacts, we explore the social fallout of having your appearance profoundly changed, both in terms of your own ability to process that and how the wider world reacts to you.
“The story will at times be heartbreaking but we felt it was an important one to tell.”
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV from 8pm
