Coronation Street’s Gemma Winter and Paul Foreman left reeling as estranged dad arrives – with huge twist to follow
Gemma Winter-Brown (Dolly-Rose Campbell) and Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) have been Coronation Street residents for years – but next week we’ll learn more about their past as dad Denny (Danny Cunningham) arrives in Weatherfield.
The family are currently dealing with Paul’s heartbreaking battle with motor neurone disease – we imagine that this is the last thing they need!
In next week’s episodes, having agreed to take part in Amy Barlow’s (Elle Mulvaney) first live radio show, Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) dressed Paul and gives him some much needed words of support.
When the taxi arrives to take him to the studio, mum Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) is furious with the driver’s attitude when the wheelchair won’t fit in the cab.
As Amy conducts her chat with Paul, he talks passionately about his MND and society’s lack of regard for disability in general, but gets carried away and swears live on air.
Oh dear – could this get her in some trouble?
Later in the week, Paul, Billy and Gemma are blown away by the reaction to the interview and subsequent MND fundraiser.
However, Bernie is taken aback when a man approaches her on Victoria Street and says he heard the radio broadcast and didn’t realise his son was dying.
Not wanting Denny to play a part in Paul’s life, she quickly covers saying that it was pre-recorded and implies that their son is already dead.
In disbelief, he follows her up to the florist flat and the twins are discovered to see their estranged dad after so many lost years.
When Denny remarks that Paul looks great for someone that’s supposedly dead, Bernie freezes in horror.
At No. 7, she lets off steam to boyfriend Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) and is panicky that her secret past life is on the brink of exposure. He becomes suspicious when he finds Bernie rifling through an old shoebox full of letters and photos – what is she looking for?
Meanwhile, when Paul invites his dad to watch a film with him, Billy reminds him of the physical abuse he suffered from him during his upbringing.
When Denny nips out for snacks, he leaves his son alone in the flat and begs Gemma to let him meet the quads – unaware that Paul is having a coughing fit and is struggling to breathe.
He calls 999 but when the operator answers, he accidentally drops the phone.
When Denny returns he finds Paul barely conscious – will he be okay?