6 huge Coronation Street’s Sue Devaney reveals shocking advice | UK Spoilers Soaps
Coronation Street fans are watching one of the most emotionally devastating storylines in years unfold, and at the center of it all is Debbie Webster. As Debbie faces the terrifying prospect of prison time for a crash that wasn’t even her fault, actress Sue Devaney is delivering what many are calling the performance of her career. With her dementia diagnosis now playing a critical role in upcoming court scenes, Debbie’s family and legal team are fighting desperately to reduce her sentence — but the emotional toll is already immense.
Yet behind this powerful on-screen moment lies a shocking off-screen truth: Sue Devaney nearly never played Debbie at all.
In a brutally honest reflection on her early acting years, Devaney revealed a moment that still stings decades later. While starting out in London, a casting director told her flatly that she would “never work” because of her height. Even more disturbing, she was advised to consider surgery to add bone to her knees just to appear taller. The suggestion was not only cruel — it was life-altering. Thankfully, Devaney ignored it, but the damage lingered.
She admits those words planted deep seeds of doubt. Like so many young actors, she began questioning her worth, her future, even her right to exist in the industry as she was. Her height. Her accent. Her identity. All suddenly felt like obstacles she needed to erase. The pressure was relentless, and the fear of being overlooked pushed her to believe that success might only come if she changed herself entirely.
In a heartbreaking admission, Devaney shared that she once went to auditions using a posh RP accent, deliberately hiding her northern voice. Her goal wasn’t to stand out — it was to disappear. To become a “blank canvas” that casting directors couldn’t reject for sounding or looking the “wrong” way. Looking back, she describes the messages young actors receive as “crazy,” and admits she would have done anything back then to fit in.
But time, experience, and resilience changed everything.
Today, Sue Devaney stands proud of exactly who she is. She has fully embraced her northern roots and now plays strong, complex northern women with confidence and authenticity. She understands her strengths, accepts her limitations, and no longer feels the need to apologize for them. While she still loves Shakespeare, she knows where her voice truly belongs — and Coronation Street has become the perfect stage.
That confidence is pouring directly into Debbie Webster’s current storyline.
On screen, Debbie’s usual armor has been completely stripped away. Her sharp suits, wealth, bravado, and control mean nothing as she faces prison, confusion, and vulnerability. Dementia has exposed a raw, frightened woman underneath the power dressing — and Devaney is relishing the challenge. She’s described this version of Debbie as “exposed” and deeply human, allowing viewers to see parts of the character never shown before.
As Debbie’s fate hangs in the balance, fans aren’t just watching a soap storyline — they’re witnessing the triumph of an actress who refused to be erased. The same industry that once told Sue Devaney she was “too small” now depends on her to carry one of its biggest emotional arcs.
And if this storyline proves anything, it’s this: authenticity didn’t end her career — it saved it.