Coronation Street star Lisa George has told how she called a meeting with those in charge of her next role over health fears.
The actress was seen leaving the ITV soap over the summer after 13 years of playing Beth Tinker. Prior to her exit scenes as the beloved character, it had already been revealed that the actress was set to join panto this festive season and she'll soon be seen playing Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at the Wyvern Theatre & Swindon Arts Centre.
But Lisa, who was told she had NAION (Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy), which led to sudden and painless vision loss in one eye and impaired peripheral vision in the other, has described her fears around making a comeback to the pantomime stage with her deteriorating eye condition. READ MORE: Coronation Street spoilers with Jesse's shock announcement, Carla left gutted, Swain hides truth and life saved READ MORE: Read more of our Coronation Street stories here As she prepares to enchant audiences as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Lisa recounted how she called a meeting to discuss her specific needs, particularly assistance with coming off stage in the dark. "I just thought, 'I'm never going to be able to do this, I won't be able to see a thing'," she told the Echo. "I have spoken to the director about it, and he was like, 'You won't be in the dark alone, there will be someone to help you'.
That, deep down, was my big fear. It's still a subconscious fear, let's just say that." Praising her colleagues who have supported her needs, she added, "They're [the team] brilliant, they were like, 'Don't worry at all, there will always be someone there for you'." Lisa also opened up about the distressing period when her eyesight started to fail.