Who is Nina in Coronation Street? Mollie Gallagher character to suffer violent attack in hate crime storyline

Coronation Street fans will soon see a violent attack on two of its young characters unfold, ahead of a devastating new storyline.

The ITV Soap will shine a light on hate crime next week, as characters Nina and Seb become the victims of an unprovoked attack which leaves them fighting for their lives.

But who are the actors who will play out the storyline inspired by real-life events? Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Nina?

Nina Lucas is played by actress Mollie Gallagher, who is the teenage daughter of Richard Lucas.

She is the long-lost niece of Roy Cropper, the brother of Richard, and is forced to live with him following the death of her father.

Gallagher made her first on-screen appearance on 11 November 2019, and is due to be at the heart of the upcoming hard-hitting storyline which will tackle the social issue of hate crimes and tolerance.

What happens in the upcoming storyline?

The cast and crew of Coronation Street have been working alongside The Sophie Lancaster Foundation for the upcoming storyline, to ensure it gives an authentic and sensitive portrayal of the plot.

The soap aims to examine the social intolerance and prejudice which is so often suffered by people from stigmatised minority groups.

Characters Seb and Nina will be subject to a violent assault by Asha Alahan’s boyfriend Corey Brent and his gang, when the group crosses paths with the couple in episodes set to screen in early May.

Nina faces disgusting remarks over her goth appearance and is attacked by the gang simply because of the way she looks, leaving her with horrific injuries.

New spoilers have teased the fate of the couple as worried family members arrive at the hospital, where a badly beaten Nina is regaining consciousness, while her boyfriend’s condition remains unknown.

It is revealed that Nina has sustained several blows to her head and has to undergo an operation.

Inspired by real-life events

The attack has similarities to what happened to Sophie in 2007, when she and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were beaten in a park because of their appearance, with Sophie dying as a result of her injuries.

Sophie’s mum, Sylvia, set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in her daughter’s memory to focus on creating respect for, and understanding of, subcultures in our communities and has worked with soap producers on the storyline.

Sophie's story has already inspired real-life BBC drama Murdered for Being Different, which won a BAFTA for Best Single Drama in 2018.

Talking about the upcoming storyline, Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE, Chief Executive of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, said: "I know first-hand the abuse, harassment and violence that alternative people suffer.

"Hate crime is usually directed at already stigmatised and minority groups and Sophie was assaulted three times before that final, sustained and brutal attack that took her life - but she never reported the earlier assaults.

"Coronation Street covering this issue means such a huge amount to me. We want alternative people to know that they shouldn’t be putting up with this prejudice and intolerance, and they should report it.”

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