Corrie cast surprise Manchester bombing survivor

From Digital Spy

Tonight (May 21), ITV aired the NHS Heroes Awards, and it was a very emotional affair, honouring the incredible efforts of people who work in healthcare.

One of the most heartwarming moments came when we heard the story of Freya Lewis, a young woman who tragically lost her best friend Nell in the bombing at Ariana Grande's Manchester Arena concert last year.

Freya herself was injured in the incident and was in a wheelchair for three months before she was up and walking again.

Since then, Freya has raised an incredible £40,000 for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

In a lovely VT, we saw Coronation Street stars Jack P Shepherd (David), Lucy Fallon (Bethany), Connor McIntyre (Phelan) and Julia Goulding (Shona) surprise Freya at a restaurant, by first pretending to be in character before revealing they were there for her.

The cast then invited Freya on a tour of the set, where Lucy got her pulling pints behind the bar and showed her the Manchester Arena memorial bench, before Kym Marsh turned up and invited her to the ceremony.

Then, on the night, she was presented with her award by none other than One Direction's Louis Tomlinson.

This Young Fundraising Hero isn't just stopping at the £40,000 she's raised already. She plans to take part in the Great Manchester Run next weekend.

Elsewhere in the ceremony, we saw awards handed to a duo who started a mental health support group for emergency service workers, and a midwife who works tirelessly in a remote part of Scotland.

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