Coronation Street star Tracie Bennett took to Twitter to ask her followers for advice after suffering a painful-looking black eye. The Olivier Award-winning stage and screen actress received a flood of messages from concerned well-wishers as she shared a photo on her social media.
"Shall I even bother to put makeup on? It’ll get worse before it gets better," she tweeted. Tracie, who made a triumphant return to the famous cobbles as the villainous Sharon Bentley last year, was told her eye looked sore as her followers offered their advice and asked what had happened.
@tonypony told her: "Oh god bless you ...looks sore love." @AmandalikesRick exclaimed: "Oh No!!! What's happened Tracie?? Hope You're OK?? Take Care." @corlett_julian tweeted: "That looks blooming painful, Tracie!" And @derrickca asked her: "Oh jeez. What the…happened ? Hugs to you."
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@RougepoutBeauty advised: "Arnica will bring the bruising out quickly, if that helps." @NataliaGray95 gasped: "Oh my goodness! That looks awful and very painful. Ice and Arnica gel every few hours for sure." And @judy_uk said: "No Tracie , make up will just make it look worse I think, just crack on."
The London, LA and New York-based star has been starring on Broadway with David Threlfall in the dark comedy Hangmen. Last March she reprised her role as Sharon after 22 years away from Weatherfield.
Sharon, the former foster daughter of Rita Tanner, turned out to be the aunt of fearsome drugs lord Harvey Gaskell, played by Will Mellor, who had snared Leanne Battersby and her adoptive son Simon Barlow into his gang.
Bad Sharon was finally shopped to the police in June by Rita over her ties to Harvey after she tried to get £10,000 from her former foster mum to go on the run. In exchange for her freedom Sharon made a deal with the police to testify against Harvey, and she gave evidence against Harvey.
But then came a twist as Sharon took over her nephew's dodgy business. After attempting to prise cash from Rita she left the street without a single penny and was last seen wheeling her suitcase along the cobbles as she headed for the tram.
After watching the scenes unfold, Corrie viewers were over the 'tame' exit and hoping one day she will return. Tracie tweeted about the scene: "I had just shot my very last scene @itvcorrie for a while &went to dressing room to change. All just so I could say 'Ter Ra' at this very moment.
"Thanks to those who know what they did for me & to haters & lovers. We do our best for everyone. "See you soon. ‘Av it," she ended the post, referring to her now iconic moment when she tasered Jenny Connor in broad daylight.
The young Sharon first appeared on Coronation Street back in 1982 as the foster daughter of Rita and Len Fairclough, going on to make 173 appearances on the soap. She famously made a play for Brian Tilsley and lied to his then wife Gail that they were having an affair, before leaving under a cloud.
She returned to the show in 1983 and caught the eye of Curly Watts but dumped him for his mate Terry Duckworth. Then in 1999 she came back again to invite Rita to her wedding to Ian Bentley, who she subsequently dumped at the alter - exposing his affair with Natalie Barnes.
After an ill-fated romance with Danny Hargreaves and a suicide attempt, Sharon got back in touch with ex fiance Ian and, much to Rita's dismay, she put the Kabin up for sale to purchase a house with Ian in Bolton. Then Rita bought the Kabin back off Sharon and sent her packing.
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