It's been quite the year for Corrie's Abi and it looks like this Christmas is also going to be packed with even more drama. But before the scenes play out, we caught up with actress Sally Carman to find out about her Christmas on and off the cobbles.
What would you buy your character for Christmas?
I would buy her a return trip to Australia so she could see the twins.
What is your character's Christmas wish this year?
Abi naively would like to be a real, solid, dependable mum to Jack.
How do you normally spend Christmas?
Always with family and friends, it's all about family. And if there are a few waifs and strays, they are always invited.
What is your favourite Christmas memory?
This is a really difficult one because I have been one of those people who has been really lucky and I have a million great Christmas memories. Every single one of my childhood Christmases was utterly perfect, hysterically happy and totally believing in the magic of it. So I haven't got a favourite because they were all my favourite.
Do you have a Christmas tradition?
There is always milk, biscuits and a carrot left out… even to this day. I've always done it since I was tiny. Christmas Eve is always at home, listening to Christmas albums, eating nice food and watching Christmas television or a Christmas film.
What's your favourite Christmas present you've ever received?
This is a tough question, but the first thing that pops into my mind is a Cabbage Patch Kid that I got when I was 10-years-old. She was called Theresa Madelina. She had thick, brown plaits and I adored her, in her little green dress. The year later, I got another Cabbage Patch Kid that I called Scotty Wallace and I was over the moon, I remember that very vividly.
Have you ever re-gifted a present?
I don't know if this counts, but I have given stuff to church, for example, when they do charity fundraisers.
What is your favourite part of Christmas dinner?
That's a tough question but I am going to be really controversial and say the gravy. I love it when it soaks the plate. I like my food swimming in gravy. I love the condiments like the cranberry sauce, the horseradish, the mustard, the mint sauce. I love roast potatoes. But, for me, gravy is the crowning glory of the meal.
What is your favourite Christmas movie?
It's an impossible question to answer, but I can narrow it down to White Christmas, Elf, and Miracle on 34th Street. Those are my top three and I can't narrow it down any more than that!
What is your favourite Christmas song?
This question is even harder, but I absolutely love Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas, it's an absolute bobby-dazzler. I love Step Into Christmas by Elton John, I love Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday and Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody. The most recent songs that I love are Jamie Cullum’s Christmas album, which is fantastic, and Sia's Everyday Is Christmas, which I think is the best Christmas album that has been out in the last 15 years. It's phenomenal.
