Letter: Soaps are brilliant ways of highlighting issues

This letter sent to the Star was written by CM Langan, Sheffield, S8
Smear test, a student looks at matter under a microscopeSmear test, a student looks at matter under a microscope
Smear test, a student looks at matter under a microscope

Call me sad if you like, but I'm a big fan of Coronation Street, or 'Corrie' as it's often known as, and have been tuning in since I was 13 years old. My mum even watched the first episode in December 1960 when she was pregnant with me!

When I first started watching my beloved soap forty-five years ago, it was in the days of Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Hilda and Stan Ogden. Since then, I've barely missed an episode.

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Last night's episode, involving the death of Sinead Osbourne, a 25-year-old recently married woman with a young baby, left me (and, no doubt, the whole nation) in pieces. She had finally lost her battle against cervical cancer and watching her descent as the illness took its savage grip upon her, has been heart-rending. It was all so realistic too due to the excellent acting, scriptwriting and production. Well done to all concerned.

'Soaps' are brilliant ways of highlighting issues, be it any form of cancer, other chronic illnesses, knife crime, mental health, bullying, teenage pregnancy, the list goes on. After all, the public relate to and invest in the characters. The helplines mentioned at the end of each episode can only do good, even if for every thousand who ignore them because they're not relevant, there are others for whom it strikes a chord who can be put on the right road.

If Sinead's story doesn't encourage women to pick up the phone and make an appointment for that smear test then I honestly don't know what will.

Finally, the powers-that-be who dictated that routine smear testing shouldn't commence until the age of 25 should be made to watch the episodes conveying Sinead's demise. This regulation urgently needs changing to ensure that there won't be any more Sinead's out there.

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