'Coronation Street' star Jane Danson thinks "history is repeating itself" for Leanne Battersby.
Jane Danson
The 42-year-old actress - who joined the ITV soap as Leanne in 1997 - thinks her character's decision to quit Weatherfield for the sake of her son Simon has echoes of the past.
She explained: "She has just faced the worst possible thing, losing her own biological child Oliver, so the thought of losing Simon – she can't even go there.
"She will do anything she can to protect him. Leanne and Simon have both been through struggles over the years. As children they were both left to their own devices a little bit.
"Peter and Leanne had their problems and not quite seen what was in front of them with Simon, and I feel Leanne was like that as a child – the Battersbys were rough and ready, they let her get on with it and she got herself into a few scrapes.
"That's the brilliant thing about it – they've got that history of her childhood, which mirrors Simon's in some ways.
"She got involved with drugs some years ago, probably about the same age ... which makes me feel really old! In a sense, history is repeating itself, which I think is quite clever."
Leanne realises that becoming involved with Harvey has put her in a really precarious position and she decides she needs to protect her son.
She told Digital Spy: "It's not just Harvey. He knows people who know people who know people. She's got herself into this really murky world. She does realise how enormous it is.
"The bottom line is she is trying to save her other child."
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