Angie Appleton

Angie Appleton is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Victoria Ekanoye. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 21 August 2017 and appeared in ninety-four episodes. Angie is part of the Appleton family, who writers introduced as relations of established character, Mary Taylor (Patti Clare). Angie is married to Mary's son, Jude Appleton (Paddy Wallace) and they have a son, George Appleton (Romeo Cheetham-Karcz). They arrive in Weatherfield to attend Mary's sham wedding. Angie reluctantly moves her family from South Africa to Weatherfield.

Angie's initial storyline is a feud with Mary, which Ekanoye enjoyed working with Clare on. Angie suspects Mary is hurting George due to his constant illnesses but they resolve their feud. Writers raised awareness of postnatal depression via Angie's struggle to bond with George. They also developed a friendship between Angie and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor). Writers explored Angie's marriage problems which originate from Jude's dishonesty about his career. A betrayed Angie contemplates kissing her colleague Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), who Ekanoye believed would be good for Angie's development. Writers continued to dismantle the Appleton marriage and concludes with Angie exposing Jude's lies. In December 2018, it was announced that Ekanoye was leaving the role and made her final appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 January 2019. Angie's final story featured her and George returning to South Africa.

The character received mixed reactions from viewers over her feud with Mary, gaining both viewer discontent and sympathy. The latter surprised Ekanoye, who had worried Angie would be hated by viewers. Angie was praised for raising awareness of postnatal depression. Angie and Adam gained a small fanship because of their on-screen chemistry. Angie's departure was ridiculed by critics and viewers alike, who believed Coronation Street writers underutilised Angie's development and did not fully realise her potential. Her departure was branded both emotional and disappointing. Critics noted Angie's endurance of trauma during her tenure and believed she deserved a better on-screen husband.

Casting and characterisation
Victoria Ekanoye made her first appearance as Angie in the episode that originally aired on 21 August 2017, with her casting being announced prior to the episode airing. Angie was introduced as part of the soap's "brand new family", which included Angie's husband, Jude Appleton (Paddy Wallace), and their baby son, George Appleton (Romeo Cheetham-Karcz). Wallace had previously appeared as Jude in December 2016 as the long-lost son of Mary Taylor (Patti Clare). Ekanoye started filming as Angie at the same time that she was filming The Royals in the role of Rachel, and she found herself working "a lot harder and faster" in the soap due to the quicker turnaround, with Ekanoye commenting that she had a "huge" script pile. Due to filming both projects at the same time at the beginning of her tenure at Coronation Street, the actress had to get into a different headspace due to the different accents, with Angie being from North West England and Rachel having Received Pronunciation. Ekanoye noted that the characters of Angie and Rachel were completely different.

Ekanoye called joining the soap a "surreal scenario" and "mind boggling" Ekanoye was a fan of the soap from a young age. She praised the cast for being friendly and "so on point with their work", and was grateful to Clare for taking her "under her wing" and being so "sweet". She called working with the baby portrayer of George "amazing", commenting that he made her feel "broody" at times, and noted that it was unusual that there was only one baby playing him. She revealed that he would often cry due to teething and that his mother was always on set.

Speaking about the character, Ekanoye noted that Angie was a "strong minded" businesswoman before giving birth to her son, and that she is "itching" to get back to work in finance law. The actress enjoyed wearing Angie's work clothes, including her mini dresses, calling them "very nice" and "quite fitted", but added that they would "leave no room for having a large lunch", with the actress joking that she would use the baby to hide her "food belly". Ekanoye believed that Angie would be good friends with returning character Carla Connor (Alison King) due to their similar personalities, but the actress also liked Angie's friendship with Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) and hoped that it would continue. The actress has also admitted that Angie is struggling with motherhood. Ekanoye was happy about the introduction of Angie and the family, saying ""Having a family involved has brought a whole new side to Mary which you didn't necessarily have before. I love the fact we've been able to explore Mary's character as well as having us to come into it and our own little Romeo."

Introduction
Explaining the character's backstory, Ekanoye revealed that Angie and Jude met at university and then moved to South Africa for a new life. The couple and George arrive in Weatherfield for Mary's wedding to Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden), unaware that is a "charade". Ekanoye explained that Angie "picks up on all the micro expressions" between her and Norris, adding that she "keeps noticing their body language and quickly becomes convinced that all is not as it seems". The actress expressed her delight in joining their unit, saying, "Patti and Malcolm are such a great duo and we laugh all the time on set, even when we shouldn't be. Connecting new characters with people who are already established really works. And Mary and Norris are such fan favourites. I feel very lucky that the two of them in particular are my foundation blocks." After the wedding, Mary confesses to her that Jude was conceived after she was raped as a teenager, which leaves Angie "devastated" for Mary. Ekanoye explained that whilst Angie "really feels for her on a woman-to-woman level", she knows that Jude needs to be told, even though it will "break his heart". The actress added that Angie is "juggling a lot of emotions" and explained that things would not be "plain sailing", saying "Angie will have to be there for both of them". After the wedding, Jude, Angie and George return that October and move in with Mary and Norris. Ekanoye explained that whilst Jude is happy about moving to Weatherfield, for Angie it is not what she "expected or wanted to happen". The actress noted that Angie and Mary would clash but speculated that they could later become a "formidable force", explaining that there may be "happier times" ahead if "they can just get past their differences".

Feud with Mary and postpartum depression
Ekanoye explained that Mary and Jude's reunion has changed Angie's life and she has had to abandon her "high-flying life" in South Africa. Angie begins to feel suffocated by Mary, with Ekanoye explaining that "Angie wants George to have his grandma, but this is also her first baby. She's missing out on all these important moments because Mary is constantly interrupting or taking over." The actress added that this is causing a rift between her and Jude. Angie and Jude rush George to hospital after realising he is ill. Angie is left "stunned" when she is told that she may have postnatal depression after she admits to a member of staff that she has been struggling to bond with her son, which she struggles to accept. Ekanoye noted that Angie's feud with Mary had mixed reactions; whilst some fans were "supportive" of Angie due to Mary being "overwhelming" with her behaviour over the baby, others fans believed that Angie was being a "right cow", which is how producers wanted Ekanoye to portray the character. The actress was happy about the reaction as she thought that she had done a good job, believing that people commenting proved she had made an "impact". Ekanoye spoke to her mother, who was a fan of Mary's; she told her daughter that whilst she understood Mary's view, she could see that Angie is struggling with the postnatal depression and thought that Mary and Angie would be friends "eventually". Ekanoye was worried that many fans would hate Angie due to Mary being such a popular character, but many enjoyed seeing the new "dimensions" being added to the storyline and the actress was surprised with how many fans sympathised with her. Ekanoye joked that she would "never" want a mother-in-law like Mary, but noted that she enjoyed working with Clare.

Mary then suspects that "poor Angie" has a drinking problem after finding a leaflet about heavy drinking in Angie's bag. Clare explained that Mary "puts two and two together and comes up with seven" and thinks that this is the explanation for "Angie's strange behaviour", as Mary has been "constantly" trying to find out why Angie sometimes acts so "distant and distracted". Wanting to help Angie, Mary throws a dinner party with Angie, Jude, Toyah and Toyah's partner Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), and she "encourages Peter to share some of his horror stories of alcoholism", which makes the other guests bemused.

After George falls ill again whilst in Mary's care, Angie's "maternal instincts kick in" and she drives George to the hospital, which scares Mary and leads her to report her daughter in law for driving under the influence. Angie is then pulled over by the police and realises that Mary reported her. Mary berates Angie until the police inform her that Angie is "well under the [legal] limit", and an angry Angie later tells Jude, who is furious with Mary and dismisses her claims that something is wrong with Angie. When Mary later finds out that Angie has postnatal depression, she makes "another heartfelt apology", having realised that she had misjudged Angie completely and that she "messed up" badly with Angie by calling the police.

The storyline intensifies when Mary is accused of harming George. Angie has been becoming increasingly suspicious of Mary, with Ekanoye explaining that Angie sees Mary as the "common denominator" due to George getting sick every time he is with her. Whilst Jude disagrees, when George is rushed to the hospital after becoming "really, really ill" whilst being looked after Mary at the florist, the doctors are unable to figure out what is wrong with him. Jude sticks up for his mother, which causes him and Angie to argue, but they then rush to George when his life is "clearly in danger" and to their surprise Mary emerges from the room. This causes a very angry Angie to become "primitive and very visceral", feeling that Mary is hurting the baby and that not even the hospital is safe from her, with Ekanoye explaining that "Whatever is wrong with George, Mary is undoubtedly the cause. Angie wants to eliminate her mother-in-law from her baby's life." Clare admitted that Mary has a "fraught relationship" with Angie. Jude and Angie later find out that Mary is not the cause of George's illness, which delighted fans, who had previously speculated that Mary was not to blame.

Lies and breakdown of marriage
In July 2018, Ekanoye revealed that more of Angie's backstory would be explored, explaining that there would be "a lot more focus on Angie and her past and to see why she is the way that she is and where that's come from". The actress had had a meeting with the soap's executive producer, Iain MacLeod, where they spoke about Angie's backstory and what they were going to do with the character. Charlotte Tutton from OK! speculated that Angie's past would be "dark". A storyline began which saw Angie find out that Jude has been lying about his profession since they met. Speaking about the betrayal, Ekanoye said that "it's the fact that every single day throughout their life together, their marriage, getting pregnant, through all of that, every single day he was leaving for work and lying to her. He was lying so much about tiny little things to cover for it and the fact he found that so easy." Angie then confides in Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) for support, with Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy hinting that the pair are getting "closer" and the Daily Mirror's Jenny Desborough speculating that things could become "steamy". Angie "pours her heart out" to Adam and tries to kiss him, although Adam pulls away, aware that she loves Jude. Ekanoye praised Adam's actions, admitting that "Adam does tell it like it is". When Angie confesses the attempted kiss to Jude, he berates her for betraying her trust, but she reminds him that lied to her for two years, as well as telling him that she loved him as a person and not because of his job.

With the marriage "hanging by a thread" and things tense between the couple, Angie dreads their upcoming wedding anniversary, with it being clear that Angie does not see the marriage working out. When they go to see a marriage counsellor, Angie admits that she has lost respect for Jude and feels trapped in her marriage, leaving Jude "stunned". Angie decides to end the marriage, confiding in Adam that she sees no future with Jude and their relationship cannot be repaired. Jude, having discovered that Mary is planning a surprise vow renewal for the couple, asks Angie to wait one more day until publicising the split. Ekanoye explained that whilst Angie will "feel utter rage" at Jude due it being "entrapment", explaining that "All of it is under false pretence and over nothing, they've broken up!" The actress added that:

"'She [Angie] doesn't realise how deluded and in denial Jude is at all. So this is why it comes as such a massive blow to her. It's almost like she is being railroaded and forced to stay within a relationship that she doesn't want to be in... it's scary! She wants to break away but as kindly as possible. Never in a million years does she think it's going to be a vow renewal, because she just can't believe that Jude would be so stupid to think that would be the next step after everything.'"

At the vow renewal, Jude is nervous as he believes that his marriage is resting on this. Later, Jude goes to "desperate measures" and lies that he saved the life of Roy Cropper (David Neilson), which "threatens to derail his marriage to Angie for good". Ekanoye teased that there would be dark scenes where Jude's true nature is exposed. Viewers speculated whether Angie would begin a relationship with Adam, with Ekanoye telling Digital Spy at the 2018 British Soap Awards that "Ultimately Angie is still married and I personally think you should never jump from relationship to relationship". The actresses admitted that whilst there is chemistry between Adam and Angie and that "sparks fly" when they are together, she believed that "should have a little bit of time to focus on her and George and what's best for them". However, she hinted that something could happen later down the line, adding "they match quite well and he puts her in her place, which she needs after she's worn the trousers for so long" Ekanoye, who considers herself a "romantic at heart", hoped that Angie and Jude would work things out, but did not believe it was possible.

Jude eventually leaves after his lies are exposed. Ekanoye hinted that Angie may find a new love interest, admitting that Angie "had her little dalliance with Adam, and there's chemistry there, which there has been from the beginning and it's continuing so... we'll see. You never know, there might be somebody else on the Street that takes her eye..." The actress also explained that Angie needs someone who "is going to be able to wear the trousers" due to Angie having done that for so long, and suggested that Adam would be a good choice. Angie and Mary later fear that Jude is dead when they are asked to identify a body.

Exit
In December 2018, it was announced that Angie and George would be departing the soap. Digital Spy's Kilkelly teased that Angie's departure scenes would be "heartbreaking". Their exit episode aired on 7 January 2019. Angie had appeared in 94 episodes of the soap by the time of her exit. Speaking of the exit, Duncan Lindsay from Metro revealed that with Jude's "true colours" having come out, "there is little keeping Angie in Weatherfield" and she decides to leave. Mary gives Angie her blessing, not wanting her life to be on hold just to stay close to her. Angie then leaves with George in a black cab for her "new life" in South Africa. Ekanoye teased that Angie may return, saying "I've honestly had the time of my life and I can't believe it's been 18 months, it's felt like no time but I guess time flies when you're having fun. There was a lot of stuff left unresolved and I may or may not be able to confirm those things. Adam's going to go out to visit and Mary will because of the amazing connection she has made between Angie and George so we'll see." In 2022, Ekanoye hinted at a return, saying "You can never say never – [Angie is] off in South Africa at the moment, isn't she, so we'll see!"

Reception
Following the arrival of Angie, Jude and George, Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy called it the beginning of "a brand new era for Mary", and questioned whether Angie would realise that Mary and Norris' marriage plans are a con. Angie's initial feud with Mary had mixed reactions from fans, with some being "supportive" of Angie due to Mary being "overwhelming" with her behaviour over the baby and others fans believing that Angie had acted poorly towards Mary. Katie Fitzpatrick from Manchester Evening News called Angie the "long-suffering wife" of Jude. Fitzpatrick also called the kiss between Angie and Adam "steamy" and a "Shock", and noted how fans on Twitter wanted the pair to be together and were "shipping" them. She also called Angie "Fiery". Emma Osborne from OK! wrote that Angie "shocked viewers by ending her turbulent marriage to husband Jude during the couple's marriage renewal". The soap was praised for raising awareness of postnatal depression through Angie's character, with fans praising the "hard-hitting new storyline about struggling mum Angie". Following Angie's split from Jude, Joe Anderton from Digital Spy wrote that Angie has "had a terrible time lately" and that she "deserves some happiness after Jude", adding that now she was "free to find love with someone who isn't a pathological fibber".

Garry Gillatt and Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap Angie's departure in their weekly "Hits & Misses!", writing "What a shame. What a waste". They commented that Angie should have had a plot of her own and suggested that it should have involved Adam. However, they also noted that Angie was "Finally free" of Jude, who they called "15 stone of surplus weight". A writer from the same magazine noted that Angie had "endured a terrible time" in Weatherfield in 2017. Duncan Lindsay from Metro called Angie's departure emotional and the scenes where Mary says goodbye to Angie and George "tearful". A writer from Female First noted how fans were disappointed by Angie's departure due to the character leaving "under the radar in the middle of an episode", which resulted in "somewhat of a supporter backlash". Rose Hill from the Daily Mirror wrote how viewers were "frustrated" with Angie's "disappointing" exit due to Angie having "so much more potential as a character", with some viewers expressing their sadness of Angie's departure on Twitter. Hill also noted that viewers "began to warm" to Angie when the truth about Adam was revealed, and called Angie and Mary's relationship "touching" in addition to Angie's "spark" with Adam.