Lucy Visinoni is a big name in ice dancing...
Coronation Street star Harry Visinoni, who plays Seb Franklin, has revealed that his mum is in the running to be an ice dancing judge at The Olympic Games.
Lucy Visinoni was British Champion in the sport back in 1987, when she was competing under her maiden name, Lucy Thompson.
She is now a member of The British Ice Skating Technical Advisory Committee, and regularly judges top competitions.
Says Harry: “My mum was an ice dancer when she was younger, before she got married and had children, which is why she ended up stopping.
“She was the British Champion at one point, and that was her life up until the kids took over.
“She is still heavily involved in it, and potentially on the cards to judge The Olympics in the next few years.”
Speaking of his own career as an actor, the 21 year old, who trained at The Manchester School of Acting - whose alumni includes former Corrie stars Michelle Keegan and Suranne Jones - adds: “I think entertainment and creativity is in my blood, however I am the first of my family to channel it in this direction.
“My older brother (Alex) is a drummer in a band (The Perps). They played around Manchester quite a lot, pre Covid, and have released music on Spotify.
“My younger sister (Lydia) is now following in my mum’s footsteps in terms of her ice skating, and has won competitions.
“I can ice skate, but my dad’s side of the family come from the Alps in Italy, and half of my family are ski instructors there. So I’ve channelled all my snow sports energy into snowboarding.”
On-screen, Harry’s Coronation Street alter-ego, Seb, is at the centre of a huge story next week as he and girlfriend Nina (Mollie Gallagher) are attacked by Corey Brent and his pals, purely because of the way Nina looks.
The soap has worked with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation on the hard-hitting plot.
Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were attacked in similar circumstances in 2007, and Sophie later died from her injuries, aged just 20.
Says Harry: “Seb and Nina are attacked because of prejudice and hatred to the way Nina looks.
“They are two characters that the audience knows personally, and sees as kind, innocent and well intentioned people, and I’m hoping this means that they will relate to the devastation that it causes for all involved.
“I would hope that this storyline forms a part of a greater process of educating on the importance of eradicating prejudice, and protecting everyone’s right to be who they are and feel safe.”
Coronation Street continues on ITV (see our TV Guide for full listings).
