Tina O'Brien on why Coronation Street's Sarah should stay away from Damon

She and Adam split up, but by then Adam had already ran Damon out of town. Now, just as Sarah and Adam are on the verge of reconnecting, the villainous charmer is back in Weatherfield.

But, speaking to RadioTimes.com and other media, O'Brien explained why she wants to "have a word with" her alter ego about her choices as Damon draws her in once more.

"She has history - Callum was the biggest mistake of her life," said the actress. "So you'd think that she'd see Damon and warning bells would go off. I mean, I want to have a word with her, I'm just like 'Look, if he turns over a new leaf and he does really definitely go 100% straight, then maybe you should think about it.'

"But I think knowing Damon, and knowing the temptation to slip into his old ways and deal with people that maybe he shouldn't deal with, is he's someone that she should ever get mixed up with? Probably not, no! It's long term, a very bad idea, but I don't know, again, with the chemistry that she feels towards him, whether she's thinking straight," she added.

"He's got this way of kind of getting under her skin; he is very, very clever at using cheeky banter and humour to disarm her. She knows that she shouldn't, but she absolutely is addicted to it."

Asked who she thinks Sarah should be with, O'Brien replied: "I would probably say [neither of them]. Roll in a new man!" she laughed.

"If all the stuff hadn't happened with Adam, then I would have said Adam, but I don't know if they would ever get past the hurt and betrayal. I think Damon, ultimately long term, could be very bad news and dangerous for her. Maybe she's better off on her own."

Despite Sarah's chemistry with Damon, she's not so thrilled to see him at first. "I think she's angry and she's hurt. Even though she knows the reason why he left, because of Adam, I think she feels a bit abandoned by him, everything she went through.

"She feels very much like she was on her own with it, even though she knows she brought it on herself, the person she would have liked to confide in wasn't there for her. So I think she felt quite hurt by that, so when she first sees him, she's just quite cross with him."

Damon is not the only character Sarah will be reunited with in the New Year – daughter Bethany Platt returns from London. And as she teased those scenes, O'Brien told us she is very happy to be working with co-star Lucy Fallon again.

"I think if she knows Bethany well enough, she knows that there's probably going to be drama following very closely behind her. She's over the moon to see her, she's not expecting to see her, it's a complete surprise, and I know for me personally, working with Lucy has just been such a joy."

How might Bethany react to Damon's place in Sarah's life? "I'm not sure [Bethany] will like Damon, I think she'll be quite outspoken about the fact that Damon is probably bad news.

"However, when she gets to know him, I wonder if Bethany might end up being charmed by Damon! Because Bethany, back in the day, had a thing for Callum when Sarah was going out with him."

It may be all drama for Sarah, but the star adores her job, and is full of praise for those she works with closely. "To be honest, I feel like I've won the lottery when it comes to my job, I really do. I absolutely love working with the people that [I do]. Ciarán being back as well, I've just not stopped laughing!" she confirmed.

"He's probably more mischievous in real life than his character is, which is saying something - in a really nice way. He just brings a lot of good energy to set, and he makes it really good fun to work on.

"Sam's always a dream, he takes it really seriously, knows what he's doing, and I think because we've worked together for so long, we've got a really good understanding, a good short hand. And then Lucy, ah, I just love her!"

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Read more:

• Coronation Street spoilers for Christmas and New Year: Peter's emotional exit
• Coronation Street's Lucy Fallon promises revival of Bethany's feisty side
• Coronation Street star teases secret reason for Bethany Platt's return
• Coronation Street's Alison King reveals genuine emotion in Carla and Peter's final scenes
• Coronation Street's Charlotte Jordan teases return of Daisy's devious side after Daniel split

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