Kylie Platt

Kylie Platt (née Turner) is the wife of David and mother of Max.

Kylie was raised by an drug addict mother and abusive father. She resented her half-sister Becky Granger for leaving home when Kylie was eight, and was thrown out after falling pregnant at nineteen. Max's dad ended up in prison, and Max was taken into care as Kylie was homeless.

In 2010, Becky tracked Kylie down and helped her regain custody of Max, but fearing she couldn't hack it as a mother, Kylie sold Max to Becky and Steve McDonald and left. She made a surprise return to Weatherfield the following year after meeting and getting engaged to David Platt in Tenerife, where she was working as a cage dancer. After getting married, the Platts won custody of Max and in 2013 Kylie gave birth to their daughter Lily - although there was uncertainty over her parentage due to a one-night stand between Kylie and Nick Tilsley.

Arriving in the Street as an opportunistic thief, Kylie frequently pushed David to get what he could from his family - including Audrey Roberts's salon where they both worked - but matured as she was accepted into the Platt clan.

1987-2009: Childhood and Max's birth
Kylie Turner entered the world on 22nd August 1987, when her mother Cath gave birth at the Eccleston Estate as she was too wasted to get to hospital. Growing up, Kylie's closest ally was her older half-sister Becky Granger, who shielded her from dad Brian Turner's fists and their mum's drug habit.

When Kylie was eight, Becky left home, at 15, despite promising to look after her. Jealous of the attention Brian lavished on Becky, Kylie grew up believing that Becky had instigated an affair, when in fact Becky had gone away to escape his advances. Without Becky's protection, Kylie began to be abused and beaten up, and was once tied up and left in a cupboard, which resulted in her going into care.

In 2006, Kylie fell pregnant at 18. By now she was back living with her parents, but Brian kicked her out when he heard the news, forcing her to lean on the baby's father Callum Logan for support. Callum was initially supportive, but he left Kylie when the pregnancy started to show. Kylie was alone in the labour ward on 5th September when she gave birth to a boy, whom she named Max. She was thrilled when Callum then returned to her, however once the novelty wore off he absconded once more, and ended up in prison after assaulting a judge. Kylie struggled to cope on her own but without a stable home, Max was taken off her by social services and put into foster care, with Kylie restricted to two visits a week.

2010-2011: Reunion with Becky
In 2010, Kylie spent some time cleaning for airline pilot Ben Carrig at Buttercup House, Weatherfield. Without his knowledge, she made a copy of the key and squatted in the house when Ben was away. In August, social services contacted Kylie but not because of Max - now married to Steve McDonald, Becky and her husband had applied to adopt a child, and social services needed a reference from her. Still holding a grudge against her sister, Kylie informed them that Becky used to have a thing with her dad, contributing to the McDonalds being turned down by the adoption panel. Seeking retribution, Becky obtained Kylie's address from social worker Dawn Coghill's bag and marched over to Buttercup House, all guns blazing.

Opening the door to Becky, Kylie defended herself against her sister's violent attack, and ended up hiding in the toilet. Cooling, Becky told Kylie the real reason she left home and informed her that their mother was dead, a revelation which stunned Kylie into coming out of her hiding place. The sisters seemed to be on the way to making up, with Kylie telling Becky that she was married to Ben, when Ben returned home a week early and Kylie, unseen by Becky, fled the scene. Finding Kylie swilling down a bottle of cider nearby, Becky took her homeless sister back to the Rovers Return, inviting her to stay until she got back on her feet.

Arriving in Coronation Street, Kylie upset just about everyone with her stroppy and immature manner, particularly Steve and Liz McDonald who were keen to be rid of her. When she went missing, Becky and Steve traced her through a hostel to Max's foster home. Kylie admitted she had a three-year-old son and told Becky how much she hated not being able to care for him. Hatching a plan, Becky got Roy Cropper to employ Kylie at Roy's Rolls and talked her into going for custody, giving the Rovers as her address. Kylie agreed but struggled to play by the rules; after selling Steve's motorbike to her friend Don to buy Max a birthday present, she snatched Max, only stopping when Becky detained her at the Rovers and called the police. Becky spent the next week preparing Kylie for a hearing over Max's future, but terrified of failing, Kylie spent the night before court with Gary Windass in Mary Taylor's stolen motor home. The next morning, Becky dragged her sister to the court room, where Kylie put in a surprisingly sincere performance and won the case.

The path to reform was slow; Kylie stole from the Rovers till, and tried it on with Steve when he caught her rifling through Becky's handbag, only for him to rebuff her and try to throw her out. However, afraid that Kylie would lose Max if she left the Rovers, Becky forced Steve to back down. Max's care fell mostly to Becky and Steve, while Kylie lay about and skived off work. When she announced plans to take Max on holiday to Cyprus, Kylie tricked the McDonalds into volunteering to look after Max, and stole £100 from the cafe for spending money. In her absence, Becky had to masquerade as her sister during a visit by a social worker. Kylie enjoyed herself so much that she decided to settle in Ayia Napa with her boyfriend Dimitri, who owned a bar there. Informing the McDonalds when she returned to collect Max, Kylie's news devastated Becky, who had formed a motherly attachment to Max due to the amount of time she had spent with him and her inability to have children of her own. To ease the transition, Steve paid Kylie in exchange for leaving Max with them while she found somewhere to live in Ayia Napa. Seeing an opportunity, Kylie told the McDonalds they could keep Max for good in exchange for £20,000. Steve rejected the idea as immoral, but Becky talked him round, convincing him that they would be better parents to Max than Kylie. After nearly bankrupting himself to raise the £20,000, Steve paid Kylie and she and Dimitri left for Ayia Napa without Max.

Kylie made a surprise return on the evening of the viaduct tram crash, where she secretly took Max away, leaving Becky and Steve to fear him dead under the rubble. Kylie demanded a further £5,000 for Max as she had "invested" the previous £20,000. A desperate Becky stole £5,000 from the Corner Shop to pay Kylie off, and threatened to kill her if she ever saw her again.

By early 2011, Kylie had spent all of the McDonalds' money and moved to Tenerife, where she got a job as a cage dancer under the name Candy.

Relationships
David Platt flew out to Tenerife on holiday and met up with Kylie who was then a cage dancer called Candy. They got together and after David's return, he proposed to her by text. David's mum Gail and gran Audrey Roberts were shocked to find his future bride was Becky's sister. Gail soon objected to Kylie but Audrey was more understanding. Kylie was shocked to discover that David didn't actually own the salon as he'd led her to believe, and slapped him round the face for his troubles. However the wedding was still booked for 8th April much to everyone's objections. The wedding became a double ceremony when friends Graeme Proctor and Xin Chiang asked if they can tag along. Gail offered Kylie money to buy a wedding dress in an attempt to build bridges. However Kylie spent the money on a night out in Nick's Bistro for her and David. Gail found herself disliking Kylie more and more as time went on and, during her hen night, offered Kylie £1,000 to leave Weatherfield which she took. The next day, when it looked like Kylie wasn't going to turn up to the wedding, Gail was secretly glad and prepared to tell David that Kylie had left, only for Kylie to turn up wearing a 'unique' wedding dress. Kylie then revealed she had spent the £1,000 on a honeymoon for her and David, claiming it was a gift from Gail, who was furious but was left with no recourse. Soon after, David began to discuss the possibility of taking custody of Max but Kylie was terrified she would only let her son down again and confided her fears to Gail who started to thaw towards her. Kylie told David the truth about selling Max (which was confirmed by Steve), and although David was appalled he agreed to forget it as they had a trump card against Becky. Kylie then told Social Services about the deal, and Max was quickly taken back into care. With David and Gail's help, Kylie proved she could provide a stable home for her son and regained custody of Max who moved into 8 Coronation Street in November.

On Christmas Day 2012, Kylie slept with David's half-brother Nick Tilsley. The pair agreed to pretend that the night never happened. However, in January 2013, Kylie found out she was pregnant. Unsure whether the baby was David or Nick's, Kylie planned a secret abortion but David found out about the pregnancy and she agreed to keep the baby. In February, Gail discovered that the baby might not be David's. Kylie didn't tell her that Nick could be the father. However, when Kylie fell from a table in the Rovers after drinking too much, Nick told Gail that he might be the dad to stop her telling David. Kylie was told the baby might not survive. Luckily, the baby was okay. In April, David and Kylie found out they were expecting a baby girl much to their delight. Daughter Lily was born at No.8 on 26th August. A paternity test shortly after Lily's birth confirmed that David was Lily's father.

Creation and casting
At the British Soap Awards in May 2010, Katherine Kelly revealed to PA that Becky McDonald's younger half-sister was set to join Coronation Street. At that time, casting was still taking place, with Kelly's younger sister Grace rumoured to be up for the part.

Paula Lane grew up in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, and studied acting at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. After graduating in 2008, she landed small roles in The Royal and Heartbeat and first came to the attention of the  Street' s casting directors when she auditioned for the part of David Platt's girlfriend Zoe in 2009. She was working at Harrods when she got the part of Kylie. Lane: "I just had this feeling that I could really do it. I've watched Coronation Street since I was little and Becky is one of my favourite characters, and people have pointed out there are similarities in the way we look." On her screen test: "I was inches from Kym's face and I had to be really bolshy. It was scary, but survival and adrenalin just kick in. I was shaking on the way out." 

Lane started filming straight away and her casting was announced on 22nd June 2010, with producer Phil Collinson hinting that the "tearaway" character would be just as much trouble as her sister: "She's a very big character across the next six months and beyond and it's fair to say that she'll cause hell for the McDonalds." 

Introduction
Kylie was introduced as part of Becky and Steve McDonald's adoption storyline, making her on-screen debut in Episode 7410 on 26th August. Her first scene was a fight scene with Becky, which Lane later cited as a favourite: "They were quite tough to film and they had to be toned down for the broadcast, which just shows how far me and Kate went when we were filming them.

Kylie's early scenes showed her to be similarly volatile and irresponsible to Becky but Lane was determined that Kylie would be her own character. Speaking to Digital Spy: "It's important for me to have Kylie as different to Becky in some ways, as otherwise the audience will feel that they've already seen it all before. So it's all about what you can bring to the table that's new, and I'm constantly sitting down and thinking about that. It's not that I'm totally opposed to Kylie being like Becky, because there are some slight similarities - but people are different and they make different choices." Speaking to What's on TV, Lane described Kylie and Becky's relationship as loving but with lingering resentment from Kylie that Becky left home when she was only eight: "Becky was like a mother to Kylie." The actresses enjoyed a close working relationship and Lane credited Kelly for helping her settle into the soap: "“From the very first screen test, Katherine was so welcoming to me, she made me feel like part of the family." 

Taken under Becky's wing, Kylie moved into the Rovers and her son Max was first seen on 29th August. Over the next few weeks, Becky helped her sister regain custody of Max, having to contend with Kylie's wild behaviour. In an interview with The Mirror, Lane explained how she considered Kylie's difficult past when playing the character: "Kylie's a mixed-up girl, but she's had to fight for survival. I feel for her - it's quite a sad story. When I analyse things that have happened in my past, I can draw on it to play her. My sister had her first child when she was 16. And while she was very different and never once thought of giving up her daughter, it was still very hard for her. [Kylie] is a very messed up girl. She was dragged up by an alcoholic mother, so she's had to fight for survival." 

After winning custody of Max, Kylie sold him to Becky and Steve for £20,000, playing on Becky's desperation for a child, to set up her new life in Ayia Napa. Lane left at the end of her contract, and her final scenes were shown on 13th December. Speaking to This Morning, Lane insisted that Kylie did love her son but came up with the money-making scene as she was "immature and irresponsible". About Kylie: "She's like a cat - she just pounces. The minute she can see something for herself, she's on it. But she's a very mixed up girl and she is misunderstood." On playing the scenes: "I'm the most maternal person you'll ever come across and I can't wait for the day to have a child. When I look at Harry who plays Max, I think, 'How could anyone do that to a child?'. And he looks at me with these blue eyes and sometimes I have to stop filming because I get too into it - and that's not Kylie!"

In January 2011, Lane was voted Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards, and a month later she was nominated for Best Actress in the 2011 All About Soap Bubble Awards.

Marriage to David Platt
On 4th January 2011, while appearing on Loose Women, Paula Lane revealed that she would be returning to Coronation Street full-time and that Kylie was set to marry David Platt. At that point, the characters had only appeared together in one scene set in the Rovers (although in the Inside Soap Yearbook 2011, Jack P. Shepherd had praised Lane and expressed a desire for more scenes with her). Kylie returned to screens on 4th March, having met David on holiday in Tenerife. In a Digital Spy interview, Lane approved of the somewhat unlikely circumstances of Kylie's return to the Street: "I think it was the only way they could have brought me back, because I don't think they could have kept on with the whole Becky and Steve scenario - the viewers need something new." 

In an interview for the Daily Star, Lane hinted that Kylie was marrying David with an eye on Audrey Roberts's salon: “She’s very money-orientated and will do anything if the price is right. She thinks that by marrying salon owner David Platt, it will be ker-ching for her!” However, this avenue was never properly explored. Teasing Kylie and David's relationship in All About Soap, Lane said: "They work very much in sync with each other and know what the other one is thinking. When one comes up with an idea that's a little bit mischievous, the other gets it straight away and they egg each other on. They could be very happy together and living in wedded bliss, but everyone around them may not feel the same way about their relationship because they do everything for their own benefit and not for other people!" Lane tipped Kylie to be the one in control of the relationship, and remarked that a "loved up" nicer side to Kylie surfaced when she was with David.

As part of the Platts, Kylie's storylines went in a more light-hearted direction, particularly in her clashes with Gail. About being involved with the Platts: "Let me tell you, the scenes with Gail are going to be so funny. I've been reading the scripts and it's just pure class with the comedy - Kylie and Gail just clash! Then you've also got the mix of Audrey in there as well, so it's going to be brilliant and I can't wait." Lane believed that Kylie was a naturally funny character, and had enjoyed playing comedy in her previous stint, as she told Now magazine: "I think she's quite witty. Obviously it can't be nice for the person on the receiving end of it but I like how she's quite quick off the mark and won't let someone stamp her down. I've got a little bit of a feisty side but I'm very sensitive as well and I'd never dream of doing stuff that Kylie's done. My mum said to me the other day, 'Don't you look at me with them Kylie eyes.'"

Kylie's return re-ignited her feud with Becky and Steve. The storyline was resolved with the sisters making peace and Kylie and David gaining custody of Max, with Kylie playing an instrumental role in Becky's exit in January 2012. Lane believed that Kylie had always wanted to raise Max but didn't think she was good enough before: "I think Kylie does genuinely want him back now. David has really boosted her confidence as far as motherhood's concerned, and she just feels like she's able to do it now. She's got the family network there and she's got the support - not only from David but from Gail too. I think Kylie will try to be on her best behaviour and do things right for once." However, she also stressed the importance of keeping Kylie's dark edge: "I don't think that can ever really leave her, even if it's just a trip of the tongue. Kylie often doesn't think before she speaks! I think she'll gradually get some more social awareness about her, because she's in the family situation now and she's got to keep the peace with people on the street. But I think it's important that she keeps an edge to her and people will always have to be a little bit wary of her, I think!" 

Further storylines
In April 2012, Kylie left David over his behaviour after Audrey's heart attack which followed a battle over the salon. Her exploits during their separation was the basis for an online spin-off, Where's Kylie?, which went live on the official ITV site on 11th May.

In the autumn of that year, Paula Lane teased a big storyline for Kylie over Christmas. On 8th December, she revealed to Radio Times that Kylie would cheat on David, but didn't yet reveal her bed partner's identity. About Kylie's motivation: "She isn't thinking straight at that point. It comes out of the blue and it's spontaneous and animalistic. It's all about the passion - they both want this at that time and they're not thinking about the consequences. As soon as she sees David after the one-night stand, she knows that he's the person she wants to be with and that she's made a massive mistake. It was just a bit of comfort when she needed it, there was nothing more to it than that."

The fling was followed by Kylie's pregnancy with baby Lily, eventually revealed to be David's after a period of uncertainty - during which time David learned the truth and waged war on Nick. On 17th September 2013, producer Stuart Blackburn discussed the future of the Platts with Inside Soap: "There is hope for Kylie and David, but while she'll be angry with him, there's also anger at herself. Kylie has seen nothing but pain and heartache. In her head she's a screw-up, and she'll be furious with herself for imagining she could ever have a normal life. If there's hope for Kylie and David, they must accept each other for who they really are."

In June 2014, Lane announced that she was pregnant with her first child. She is expected to depart the programme temporarily for maternity leave later in the year.

Quotes
"Just do one, all I did was save some poor kid from ending up with a mother like you." (First line, to Becky McDonald)