A survivor of the Manchester Arena bombing who was left paralysed from the waist down has told Coronation Street stars about his experience as the show tackles the topic of spinal injury.
Martin Hibbert and his wife Gabby met Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs in the ITV show, and his on-screen wife Fiz Stape, portrayed by Jennie McAlpine, to share their insight on “life after injury” as a married couple.
Coronation Street fans watched mechanic Tyrone suffer a spinal cord injury in a hit and run, leaving him unable to walk.
“I’m so impressed that Coronation Street has chosen to tell this important story,” Mr Hibbert, who is the vice president of the Spinal Injuries Association, said.
Mr Hibbert was among those standing closest to attacker Salman Abedi when he detonated the homemade rucksack bomb at the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017 – killing 22 people and injuring hundreds more.
He suffered 22 shrapnel wounds and required life-saving surgery at Salford Royal Hospital.
His spine was severed by shrapnel, leaving him with a T10 complete spinal cord injury and paralysed from the waist down.
“Spinal cord injury can happen to anyone, at any time, and having such a big TV programme shine a light on the realities of living with it will make a huge difference,” Mr Hibbert added.
“By showing that ordinary people can be affected, it helps to raise awareness, break down barriers and start vital conversations about life after injury.
“It was an honour for Gabby and I to share our experience and see first-hand the care and respect the team are putting into getting this right.”
The Coronation Street research team worked with the Spinal Injuries Association in developing Tyrone’s storyline, and the charity advised writers on scripts, ITV said.
“In the coming months viewers will see Tyrone’s struggle to deal with the mental and physical effects of the injury which will put real strain on his and Fiz’s marriage,” a spokesperson for ITV said on Monday.
Mr Halsall and Ms McAlpine thanked Mr Hibbert and his wife for taking the time to meet them and share their experiences.
“We might be telling this story on screen but at the end of the day we go home to our family and friends and leave behind what the characters are going through,” Mr Halsall said.
“Even just trying to negotiate getting round the set in the wheelchair has been a real eyeopener for me, so to hear Martin’s own stories about how his life has changed has been really helpful and also humbling.”
Ms McAlpine added: “For Fiz trying to juggle family life and caring for Tyrone is really difficult.
“It was invaluable for us to meet them both and hear Gabby’s side of their story, for them their lives changed in an instant in so many ways and that is what Fiz is having to deal with whilst looking after Tyrone.”
