As fans of Coronation Street will know, Tyrone Dobbs’ fiancé Kirsty Soames turns violent at the drop of a hat, and poor Ty is on the receiving end of it, which, not unreasonably, he’s ashamed of and upset by.

However, Natalie Gumede, who of course plays the bunny boiling Kirsty, has revealed that far from hating her Corrie character – which is what she expected, given how well loved Tyrone is – fans of the show “pity” Kirsty, and especially so since she revealed to Ty that her father used to beat her.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Natalie – who’s also starred in The Persuasionists and Johnny Vegas’ sitcom, Ideal – said, “It has been really interesting how people have said they felt sorry for her.

”We all know right from wrong, but there are reasons behind what people do and things are not as simple as they appear…”

She added, “There are times with this relationship between Kirsty and Tyrone [Alan Halsall] where it could be great.

“They do really love each other, interjected with this awful aspect of Kirsty’s personality.”

Natalie went on to say that despite the grueling nature of the storyline, she’s loving every minute of it.

She said, “What Coronation Street has done really well is build the storyline which has been bubbling away for several months.

“To say her actions are justified is wrong, but the clues have been there as to why Kirsty has behaved like she has.”

To find out more about the sensitive issue of domestic violence towards men, click here to visit the Men’s Advice Line website.