Coronation Street star James Cartwright reveals Theo Silverton’s guilt amid abuse of Todd Grimshaw

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**Warning: Contains spoilers for next week’s episodes of Coronation Street.**

This article discusses sensitive topics like domestic abuse and controlling behavior, which may be disturbing for some readers.

James Cartwright, who plays Theo Silverton on Coronation Street, has explored the character’s increasingly manipulative and abusive behavior towards his boyfriend, Todd Grimshaw (played by Gareth Pierce), as the storyline develops next week.

As a huge cinema fan, I’m really fascinated by the character of Theo. It’s heartbreaking to learn he went through conversion therapy, and now, after his split from Danielle (played brilliantly by Natalie Anderson), we see how much pain he carries about who he is. It’s a really complex portrayal of internalized struggles and resentment towards his own sexuality.

He had a chance for a fresh beginning with Todd, but now seems to hold him responsible for the dramatic changes in his life. He’s gone through a divorce, lost contact with his children, and seen his business fail.

“These are enormous life events,” Cartwright explains.

He’s now blaming Todd for everything that’s gone wrong. He feels Todd is responsible because he gave up a good life to be with him, and now things haven’t worked out.

He has a quick temper and often explodes when he’s angry. Afterward, he regrets his actions, which leads to feelings of self-hatred.

Sarah Platt notices Theo getting into a van with Pete Lang, someone he had both a business and a personal relationship with, and confronts him about it.

A fight breaks out, and a frightened Todd quickly pulls her away, preventing Theo from revealing a dangerous part of himself.

After James Bailey visits their apartment with some workout gear, Theo becomes convinced Todd is attracted to him. Todd denies it, but an argument quickly escalates into physical violence.

But does Theo show any remorse for his actions?

He definitely feels very strongly for Todd, almost to the point of obsession, especially since Todd is currently the only person he has left.

Todd is completely isolated. His wife and children are still not speaking to him, and he’s currently not very busy at work, leaving him with no one to turn to but himself.

People who are excessively jealous and controlling often try to isolate their partners, because they fear losing them. This fear is driving Todd’s intense clinging, and that’s how his controlling behavior begins.

Pictures show Theo grabbing Todd by his neck, as he begins to vent his anger.

“It’s another escalation, and it’s both shocking and terrifying for Todd.

You know, it’s really frustrating watching Theo. He just completely shuts down whenever anyone tries to get him to open up emotionally. Instead of talking about what’s bothering him, he just explodes. It makes him incredibly unpredictable and honestly, a bit scary to be around when he gets like that.

According to Cartwright, it’s hard to see a path forward after this event. While he generally supports rehabilitation and giving people second chances, he believes Theo is repeatedly making the same mistakes and doesn’t seem able to change his behavior.

He genuinely doesn’t seem to realize how damaging the relationship is. I believe Todd should have ended things a long time ago, but the situation has slowly gotten worse and more intense, like things are steadily reaching a breaking point.

He explained that Theo has been gradually increasing the pressure, and as that happens, people start to accept it as the new normal. The boundaries of what’s acceptable keep shifting. Plus, the longer you’re involved in a relationship like this, the more awkward it becomes, leading you to make excuses for the other person that you wouldn’t have considered before.

You begin to rationalize their actions, and that’s exactly where Theo is now – a risky spot for Todd.

Coronation Street has partnered with Galop to accurately show abuse in LGBTQ+ relationships, and with Stonewall to realistically portray the trauma caused by conversion therapy.

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2025-11-22 13:05