Coronation Street fans demand Kym Marsh is given all the acting awards after heartbreaking performance of Michelle Connor suffering miscarriage
CORONATION Street fans have demanded Kym Marsh be given all the acting awards after her moving performance as Michelle Connor lost her baby.
The barmaid suffered a tragic miscarriage, losing her son Ruairi at 23 weeks into her pregnancy, and her emotionally-charged performance has seen viewers call for her to be showered with acting honours.
"Kym Marsh was amazing in tonight's Corrie," one tweeted. "So brave of her to take on a storyline so close to home. Just give her an award now!"
"OMG Corrie! Kym Marsh deserves an acting award,"; said a second while a third tweeted: "Genuinely heartbreaking stuff on Corrie. Kym Marsh deserves an award."
In emotionally powerful scenes, Michelle and husband Steve McDonald were told their baby wouldn't survive and Michelle was left to give birth to her son surrounded by the sound of crying babies.
"I was meant to take care of him, I can't give birth knowing he's going to die. I can't do it," Michelle sobbed as she went into labour.
"How can you keep my wife in there listening to newborn babies crying?" he demanded to know from the doctor. "It's upsetting, it's cruel."
But with them refusing to move her, Michelle was forced to give birth in harrowing circumstances.
Told to push by the midwife, Michelle screamed: "I can't, he'll die."
Desperate to know if he was breathing, Michelle begged for news and when the nurse told her the tragic news that he wasn't breathing, Michelle broke down totally.
Given the chance to hold her son, Michelle sobbed over him as Steve tried to comfort her.
"I'm so sorry," she said as she held her son for the first and last time. "I'm sorry. I don't want to give him back. I don't want to leave him."
"He looks so perfect, I keep thinking he's going to wake up."
She added: "My heart feels like it's breaking, actually breaking."
Kym, 40, lost baby Archie seconds after he was born prematurely at just 21 weeks in 2009.
“I thought long and hard before agreeing to take on the challenge of this storyline. It is a cause very close to my heart having lost my beautiful Archie," she said.
“I have had to go to some very dark places in my mind while filming these heartbreaking scenes, but my family, friends and colleagues have been incredible. Losing a child is something that never leaves you so to revisit those feelings has been challenging.
“Coronation Street ensured that I had a counsellor on set at all times, but for me the best tonic after a hugely emotional day was to go home to my kids and be reminded of how lucky I am to have them.”
Bosses worked closely with stillbirth charity Sands on the episode. Viewers will see Michelle and husband Steve McDonald, played by Simon Gregson, 42, struggle with their loss.
Kym was with her ex-husband, Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas, when she lost Archie. They later had daughter Polly, five, together. She is also mum to David, 21, and Emily, 19.
She added: “I felt it was an important story to tell to raise awareness of something which affects thousands of women every year. I am very proud.”
Her co-star Simon revealed today that he and wife Emma had sufferred 11 miscarriages.
- Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights on ITV
Got a story? Email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220