Corrie star's warning over dangerous 'strangulation sex' trend that's more popular than parents realise

Lying in a hospital bed, the right side of her face sunken and drooping, Coronation Street viewers watch 18-year-old Betsy Swain react to the devastating news. Days after having consensual strangulation sex with her boyfriend Dylan Wilson, she has suffered two strokes. Her shocked mum, DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) is by her bedside as Betsy (Sydney Martin) is told there’s been damage to an artery in her neck, caused by a temporary loss of circulation. Strangulation can damage the vertebral arteries in the neck and can lead to a blood clot travelling to the brain to cause a stroke. In Wednesday’s episode, Betsy confesses her strangulation sex session - not seen by viewers - to her mum. Sydney says: “I am part of the same generation as Betsy. Strangulation sex is something we’re more aware of.” Not shocked that Dylan and Betsy were experimenting, she adds: “I was very shocked that a stroke can affect young people. I hope young stroke sufferers will now take comfort knowing they aren’t alone.” As well as the Stroke Association, Coronation Street was advised on the storyline by he Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS), and Safeline, a charity for survivors of sexual abuse. Their experts reviewed scripts and were on set to help. After doctors discover damage to her arteries, Betsy manages to convey that the strangulation was consensual and she and Dylan both believed the pressure applied was minimal. Now she hopes the hard-hitting storyline will raise awareness of young people suffering strokes. According to the Stroke Association, who have worked closely with Corrie, 85,000 people survive a stroke each year in the UK - several hundred of whom are children. And Corrie bosses want the storyline to show how consensual sexual strangulation is more common now among younger people. A November 2025 IFAS report revealed that more than half of people aged 16-34 admitted they had either strangled someone during sex, or been strangled. In Corrie, Betsy’s strokes have left her paralysed on her right side. Actress Sydney is wearing a special prosthetic to show how a stroke can cause a sunken, drooping face. She says: “Half her body is now paralysed. She has facial drooping on the eye and mouth and she is slurring. We had a prosthetic made in house and the makeup team have been putting it on each morning.” Meanwhile, Betsy’s mum, Lisa, is determined to arrest Dylan, but Betsy begs her not to. Sydney says: “This is a generational difference between them. This isn’t about a villain or a victim.” Betsy is also shattered - something stroke sufferers experience. To help with accuracy, the actress spoke to stroke advisors and to two young stroke sufferers. One, Louise Hindley, suffered a stroke 10 years ago, aged 20. Brought to tears by her story, Sydney says: “I am a perfectionist and when it comes to a story like this, you want to get it right. I asked many questions.“ Sydney also spoke to Emmerdale star Mark Charnock, whose character Marlon Dingle suffered a stroke in 2022. And she practiced communicating with the three flatmates she shares with in Manchester. She says: “It’s important to me to convey everything as best I can. Stroke sufferers have trouble finding the words.” Viewers will see Betsy recuperate in hospital, before being sent home. She says: “Betsy has to have a bedroom downstairs, uses a wheelchair… and she is so lethargic.” It’s another massive storyline for Sydney, who joined Corrie two years ago - leaving her full-time job in Tesco. She says: “I count my blessings every day. Before I joined, I’d just graduated from drama school and I was working in Tesco. To be trusted with this stroke storyline is amazing.” Since the rebellious teenager joined, Betsy has also been embroiled in several other huge plots, including the tragic death of her boyfriend, Mason, and discovering scaffolder Theo dead on the night of her mum’s wedding to Carla Connor. Sydney says: “Who killed Theo?That was the question I’ve been asked the most. I love it at Corrie and I am learning so much. Corrie is like drama school times 100.” Away from the cobbles, Sydney has a steady boyfriend, Jack, and has recently returned from a holiday with some of her cast mates, including Liam McCheyne who plays Dylan. She says: “It shows how incredibly close we are.” Of the cast, she says: “They are my second family.” Happy to stay at Corrie for the foreseeable future, she says of her dramatic scenes: “That’s the beauty of Corrie. Yes it can be hard work filming a storyline like this, but hopefully, it will show young stroke sufferers there is someone on TV who is going through exactly what they are.” *If you have been affected by Betsy’s stroke storyline, help can be found at the Stroke Association 'I suffered a stroke at 20' Adult social care worker Louise Hindley was 20 when she suffered a stroke – which took four days to diagnose. Louise, now 30 and living near Wigan, began feeling unwell in June 2016. She says: “I felt dizzy, sick and as if I had an extreme hangover, despite not having drunk anything. Hours later, at a friend’s house, I started vomiting. The left side of my face also felt numb.” Going straight to her GP, they thought it was a reaction to something. But, the next day, Louise lost all coordination. Her sister, Lisa, called an ambulance, but paramedics failed to diagnose a stroke. When she got worse, her sister called another ambulance and terrified Louise was rushed to A & E. Doctors initially thought she had an inner ear infection. Kept in hospital, three days later, unable to lift her head from the pillow or swallow a drink properly, an MRI was ordered. “That’s when they told me I’d had a stroke,” she says. “It was a massive shock. I thought a stroke affected an older person.” Further tests showed the stroke resulted from an undiagnosed hole in the heart that meant a blood clot bypassed the lungs, travelling straight to the brain to cause an ischaemic stroke. Louise says: “My mum said it made total sense why I’d been sick as a child.” Three weeks later, Louise came home, returning to work as a legal secretary in September 2016. A few months later she quit to become an adult social care officer, so she could help others. As well as knocking her confidence, the stroke left her feeling isolated. And she wanted to advise Corrie to reassure young stroke sufferers they aren’t alone. Now fully recovered and a married mum of two, she says: “I’ve since had an op to close the hole in my heart and I’m now very passionate about raising awareness that young people do suffer strokes too. It’s great that Corrie is running this storyline. “ Juliet Bouverie OBE, CEO at the Stroke Association adds: “We commend Coronation Street for taking on this stroke storyline. While the cause of Betsy’s stroke is rare, her experience powerfully shows that a stroke can happen at any age. If you think you or someone you know is having a stroke, you should Act FAST and call 999. Stroke is a medical emergency.” Stroke warning signs - F – Face drooping. Has the person’s face fallen on one side or can they not smile? - A – Arm weakness. Can they raise both arms and keep them there? One arm may drift downward or feel numb. - S – Speech difficulty. Is their speech slurred, are they confused or are they unable to speak? - T – Time to call 999. Call emergency services if you see any of these signs, even if the symptoms disappear.