Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush admits shocking fire scenes were hard to film — as her husband was set ablaze as a child
Star's character Anna Windass was engulfed in a fireball in Friday's horrific episode
CORONATION Street star Debbie Rush says she thought twice about filming Friday's shock episode of the ITV soap, which saw her character Anna Windass go up in flames.
The 50-year-old actress revealed her husband, Andrew, suffered a similar trauma at the age of ten — when he nearly died after being set on fire.
Debbie told the : “When the executive producer Kate Oates asked me how I felt about being set on fire, I told Andrew straight away.
He went very quiet but didn’t say he didn’t want me to do it. He knew I was relishing the challenge and he’s always been very supportive. It must have been hard for him though.
“He and his brother were messing about trying to be fire-eaters. Paraffin got on Andrew and he was set on fire. It burnt his chest. It must have been awful for a 10-year-old.”
The soap star said however that she didn't hesitate when asked if she'd like to perform her own stunts in the action-packed episode, exclaiming: "It's not often you get to be James Bond in Corrie!"
The dramatic Corrie scene came as David Platt drove to court with a car full of petrol, in a bid to blow up his wife's murderer.
However he ended up flipping the vehicle, landing on Anna's son Gary.
A group gathered to lift the car off Gary, but when they placed it back down on the street the petrol ignited and the car exploded.
Viewers were stunned as a ball of flames shot out, setting fire to a screaming Anna's legs.
Anna is now fighting for her life in the hospital, after docs put her in an induced coma.
Debbie revealed Anna survives the horrific injuries, but she has a long road ahead of her.
She said: "For Anna, certainly at the beginning, it is nothing to do with how it looks.
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"It is so horrific. She's got full thickness burns on her legs she has to learn to walk again and learn to accept herself.
"In her head she will be thinking, where does this lead, how will she be, will she ever be anywhere like she was before?";