Fan hate towards Coronation Street star upset her granny

| Soaps Reporter Published August 19, 2026 11:08am Updated August 19, 2026 11:08am Farrel Hegarty received a lot of hate from Coronation Street fans when she first appeared as Lou Michaelis (Picture: ITV/Danielle Baguley/Shutterstock) Former Coronation Street star Farrel Hegarty has opened up about how online comments about Lou Michaelis upset her grandmother. Lou made a huge impact when she first arrived on the cobbles alongside husband Mick in early 2025 with her brash attitude and confrontational nature. As her tenure went on, viewers got to see a more vulnerable side to the character, with a domestic abuse storyline and a special flashback episode that delved into her relationship with Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) in their younger years. Discussing the reaction to her character on the It Started with a Kiss podcast, Farrel explained that she had been warned that because she was coming in as a ‘baddie’, the audience may not like her. She went on to recall a discussion with co-star Joe Layton, in which he asked her if she’d read the comments yet, before warning her not to. ‘Obviously, that’s like when someone says, “Don’t push that button!”‘ Farrel laughed, explaining that she then went down a ‘rabbit hole’ of social media comments. However, she wasn’t the only one affected by the harsh criticism online. ‘I remember my grandma saying, because she’s a huge Corrie fan, I was like, “Have you read the comments, Grandma?” And she went, “Yes…” ‘And I’m like, you’ve upset Grandma now! Upsetting me is one thing, but don’t upset Granny!’ Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. This wasn’t the only time Farrel read about herself online. After leaving the ITV soap, she took to social media to read out posts claiming that she was pregnant and engaged, crying with laughter as she debunked the fake news. Fortunately, it seems that Farrel ultimately won fans round with her portrayal of Lou, as fans in the comments of the podcast’s Instagram post are begging for the character’s return. Lou returned to our screens when Debbie Webster befriended her in prison (Picture: ITV/Danielle Baguley/Shutterstock) ‘Farrel come back to Corrie,’ one wrote, while another declared: ‘Come back to the cobbles when you get released from prison please!’ ‘But also, you know you’ve done the job well if you’ve aggravated people that much. Being the character they love to hate is almost better than being the character they love,’ another fan pointed out. Lou is currently serving time behind bars for attacking Gary Windass (Mikey North). Fans thought they’d seen the last of her until Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) was sent to prison and befriended her former neighbour. Deals of the Day Parents can save up to 30% on Kickers school shoes ahead of the new term The back-to-school hack that's helping parents avoid queues and sold-out sizes Could your hair be wavy rather than straight? This brand thinks so Could your star sign improve your skincare routine? This new beauty launch thinks so Best skincare for menopausal skin? This dermatologist-created treatment is tailored to you Having become such a popular character, could we be set to see Lou back on the cobbles once her sentence has been served? Arrow MORE: Phew! Coronation Street icon signs contract for another big year Arrow MORE: EastEnders fan took a chance and DM-ed star – now they’re in love Arrow MORE: Coronation Street star reveals reason why staying ‘would never work’ as she quits after 7 years The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.