Coronation Street star admits Christmas will âfeel emptyâ after triple family loss
Coronation Street actor James Cartwright, who plays Todd Grimshawâs abusive boyfriend Theo Silverton, has opened up about how he and his family are struggling with grief this Christmas, after the loss of three beloved family members.
âVery sadly, this year, weâve lost both our dogsâ, he said.
âAnd last year we lost my grandad, who was my best friend, just before Christmas. The house will fill very empty, so to combat that, weâre going out for Christmas dinner for the first time ever.
âWeâll wake up in the morning with all the family, weâll open our presents, weâll get our best suits on, and then weâll go out for something to eat. Mum will have an egg nogg, Dad will have a sparkling water and me, my brother and sister will probably get giddy on buzzballs.â
James shared his cherished memories of Christmases with his grandad âMy favourite memories are from when my dear grandad was still with us.â©To me those were the best Christmases because it was a full dinner table and lots of laughter.â
Dealing with grief is a difficult process at the best of times, and it can be especially different during Christmas time. James reveals some traditions in the Cartwright household that never fail to bring the festive cheer.
âEvery Christmas Eve, we sit down and we watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Very unusual I know but we watch it every year, I donât know how it happened, but we all laugh our heads off every year, even though we know whatâs coming.
âThere was one particular year where it was suggested a change of title and there was near mutiny in the Cartwright Household, and you realised how strongly these things are sort of embedded for no reason. I donât know how thatâs happened but there it isâ.
Whilst James Cartwright certainly comes across as a lovely bloke, his character is anything but.
Viewers have been horrified by the physical and emotional abuse Theo has inflicted on Todd, isolating him from friends and family with gaslighting and coercion.
Like all bullies, Theo lashes out as a coping mechanism for his own insecurities, the wife heâs lost, the job heâs lost, the child he no longer has access to â all due to his own bad decisions. Sounds like Theoâs definitely on Santaâs naughty list this year.
âIf you spoke to Theo, nice list.â James laughs.
âIf you ask the general British public, naughty list. I was in my local Sainsburys the other day where I always have a bit of banter with the women on the checkout and I was doing self-service when she said come here, come here, I canât believe Sandraâs not in.
âThen she pulled an umbrella out and just spanked me on the bottom as she went, âThatâs from Sandra. You leave Todd alone.â
You tell him, Sandra!
