Betsy’s life-changing change brings hope in Coronation Street but things go too fast

If anyone’s in need of a silver lining on Coronation Street, it’s Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin).

The troubled teen’s entire life was turned upside down after she suffered a debilitating stroke which severely affected her ability to speak.

Tragically, Betsy’s stroke was cause by experimenting with non-fatal strangulation during consensual sex with her boyfriend, Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne).

This shocking revelation went off like a bomb on Coronation Street, as Betsy’s enraged mum Lisa Connor-Swain (Vicky Myers) blamed Dylan for her daughter’s life-changing injuries and tried reporting him to the police.

She wasn’t the only one. Betsy’s bestie, local tough-nut Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) was convinced that Dylan deserved to be behind bars and tried to convince her friend to press charges. So furious was Lauren that she even attacked Dylan herself.

Dylan’s dad Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) vehemently stood by his son and was convinced that he wasn’t capable of doing such a thing. Consumed with guilt over hurting someone he loved so badly, Dylan was so desperate to believe that he wasn’t to blame that he accused his best mate Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) of sleeping with Betsy and therefore, being responsible for her injuries.

Brody confronted Dylan and refused to let him rewrite history, forcing Dylan to break down and finally take responsibility.

With all the recriminations and fallout this drama has caused to spill onto The Street, it’s easy to forget the most important person in all this – Betsy.

The stroke left Betsy dealing with physical and communication difficulties like dysarthria and aphasia, forcing her to cancel her upcoming move to a London fashion university. She should be out enjoying her life with her friends. Instead, she is facing a grueling transition back home, tackling speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, and the immense psychological toll of a stroke at age eighteen.

Worse still, Lisa is in full mama bear mode, overly protective and therefore going off like a hand-grenade every time Dylan tries to see Betsy.

In short, Betsy is due some good news.

That good news comes in next week’s trip to the Cobbles, when Betsy has a breakthrough in physiotherapy, much to Lauren’s delight. However, the moment of triumph is short lived when she suffers a devastating blow.

When Lauren pops round to visit, Betsy is annoyed that she spends the whole time texting her hew boyfriend Ollie Driscoll (Raphael Akuwudike). Betsy admits to Lisa that she feels lonely. Seeing Lauren loved up with Ollie is just another reminder of the normal life she doesn’t have anymore.

However, later, with the help of her physiotherapist, Betsy stands up for the first time since her stroke. It’s a truly joyous moment.

Meanwhile, Lauren suggests to Ollie that they pay Betsy a visit and take her some of his cake. But when Lauren calls with Ollie, how will Betsy react?

Without giving too much away, it doesn’t exactly go well, which prompts Lauren to lay down the law to Betsy and insists on taking her out for lunch.

But In the bistro, Betsy knocks some cutlery off the table. Lauren quickly goes to her aid. But Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) jokes that Betsy must be drunk.

Any Coronation Street viewer worth their salt knows that Debbie didn’t mean to be cruel, and made that joke due to completely losing her filter thanks to dementia.

However, that doesn’t make it hurt any less for Betsy, who is left utterly mortified and humiliated by the encounter. Will this heartbreaking setback affect her recovery?