Coronation Street Theo's heartbreaking past revealed as star teases soap future

Soap newcomer James Cartwright has teased his future, and his character Theo Silverton's future with love interest Todd Grimshaw.

Things took a dramatic turn on the cobbles recently when Theo's sexuality was exposed, with him hiding who he is from his family for decades. His wife Danielle found out he'd cheated on her with a man, Todd, leaving her stunned.

But with Theo struggling to be himself after years of torment, it was teased it might be all over for Todd and Theo before they'd even gotten together. Actor James spoke to The and other press about the storyline and what Theo had been through.

He teased his future on the show and whether Theo and Todd could make things work, with him splitting from his heartbroken wife. Leaving his family behind, James teased Theo would be "all in" as he opened up about the "complex" character and what he had been through in his life.

James also detailed how his character's past has shaped him, and led to him deciding not to be his true self. He revealed: "I think, I think it's a very strong bond. I think it's one of them times in life where it's all in. I think it's all in for him now, because his wife knows, his kids know.

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"Those bridges are burned. So he's moving forward. They're both sacrificing an enormous amount to make it work. Todd is taking all this baggage from this man. And then on the other hand, Theo's point of view is he's lost his family, he's getting mocked on the scaffolding site and all these different things.

"So, yeah, they really, they're all in, and they're going to really have a good crack at making this work, on this journey to domestic bliss between the scaffolder and the undertaker." On why Theo has hidden his sexuality for so long, James went on: "I think he's from a devoutly religious background, and that's what's made him keep it in.

"And I think for the first time in Todd, it's more than sexual. I think it's a man who he's met and he’s gone, ‘oh my god, like you're a dear friend, but also I fancy you’, which is how we choose all our partners, right?

"I think that basis there is where we sort of build the relationship from. And I think he trusts him, and he sees that it is more than that. And, you know, he gets to give it a go, I think. And Todd is very patient and loving and kind."

With it revealed that Theo had been put through conversion therapy when he was younger, James revealed the impact this had on Theo and his life. He revealed: "I mean, I was very surprised by how prevalent it was. In my mind It seems such an outdated thing

"This idea that sexuality is a choice, feels bizarre. The idea that you can change fundamentally who you love and who you fancy. I think like anything that you go through like that, I think you'll feel in an array of emotions, but I think you can't help but feel inside yourself conflicted.

"On one hand, you've been told that homosexuality is not natural, it's a sin, it's all of these things, it's abhorrent, it's against the Lord, you know all of that. But on the other hand, you feel it so it exists inside you. It lives within that little petri dish of your heart.

"It lives there. And you're told it's a nasty bacteria, but you're going, ‘but I, that's how I feel. So there's something wrong with me, if I feel this way’." On whether Theo's past could lead stop him and Todd from being happy, James revealed what might be ahead for the characters as the plot continues.

He said: "I think things can be explained to you, but understanding them is a different thing, or being able to process it. And I think because his parents were privy to the conversion therapy, it's a much bigger thing, right? If you start to unpack that as a thing, fully, you go, ‘okay, my mum and dad are complicit.

"'The Church and all my friends who I grew up with are complicit, or the family friends are complicit’, and the shame and all of that, and so I think he knows it wasn't okay, but I think also he has to process it for himself. It's very complicated, all that stuff. He wants to just be happy, as we all do, right? Happiness is all we want. It's all any of us want."

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