Catherine Tyldesley interview: Eva's baby bombshell

(This post was originally posted on the Coronation Street Blog January 2018, reposted to this blog with permission.)


When Eva confides in Shona that she doesn’t feel well, has it even crossed her mind that she could be pregnant?
No not at all, she just thinks she’s tired and she’s coming down with something, it’s totally not crossed her mind.

So when Shona suggests she could be pregnant what does Eva start to think?
She starts to panic a little bit but in the back of her mind she really believes she’s not pregnant, so it’s a massive shock and a huge irony when she finds out that she is, especially when you think a year ago she would have given anything to settle down and have babies, but after everything that transpired this is just the worst thing that could have happened.

What are Eva’s initial thoughts about what she might do or is she just in shock?
Initially she’s just in shock, then after she’s been to the doctors and discussed things she realises she can’t see any other way out of this situation than to have a termination. All she’s ever wanted is to meet prince charming, settle down and have a family so the thought of getting rid of this baby is not an easy decision at all for Eva. She feels completely stuck with no way out.

Does Eva know if the baby is Aidan or Adam’s?
After she’s spoken to the doctor she knows but she’s not sure she’s ready to talk to the father, it’s all such a mess. Eva being Eva and not thinking about consequences decides there’s nothing she can do other than to have an abortion.

At that point the only person she’s confided in is Shona, is she supportive of Eva?
They’re not particularly friends but Shona just stumbles across Eva’s secret and having had a child herself she recognises the signs and I think she can see how vulnerable Eva is. Shona’s really good to Eva, she’s got a kind heart and she tries to support her.

Does Eva not feel that she can confide in Leanne or Toyah?
She does want to but she finds it really difficult, ordinarily she’d tell Leanne everything but something that’s stuck in her mind is that Leanne was quite judgemental of her at the wedding and I think she’s a little bit scared of Leanne saying I told you so, this is karma. It’s difficult for her because she does normally lean on Leanne. Then there’s just no way she feels she could talk to Toyah about it, Toyah and Eva are like chalk and cheese, they do really care about each other even though they often clash, but Eva has seen what Toyah has been through trying to have a child and she couldn’t bear the thought of talking to her about possibly terminating her own pregnancy.

How did you feel when you were told about this storyline and the mess that Eva was going to find herself in? 
It’s amazing, I just think the storylines that Kate Oates is bringing to the table are fantastic. But my heart bleeds for Eva all the time because she doesn’t think about consequences and it’s such a great tragedy the way it’s all ended up after the wedding. Eva and Aidan were perfect for each other and if only she’d managed to not be so stubborn things could have been very different.

Do you think Aidan is the one Eva should have been with rather than Adam?
It’s difficult because she is actually starting to fall for Adam. For a long time it was just Aidan Aidan Aidan but at the moment Aidan doesn’t want to know and Adam is offering her everything that she wanted. So her head has literally just been turned, she’s just starting to fall for Adam when she finds out that she’s pregnant, which makes things even worse, it’s such bad timing. Before the pregnancy if Aidan had come back on the scene and said let's get back together then I think Eva would because I think they were perfect for each other and that’s where the sadness lies.
 

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