What happened to Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street? Past story revisited amid fan backlash

Toyah Battersby will open up about her heartbreaking past in a new storyline on Coronation Street.

In a sad turn of events, Toyah will reveal that she gave birth to a stillborn baby girl when she was just 19 years old and buried the baby in the local park. When that area is dug up this week, it is revealed that police have found a body.

Later, Toyah admits to Nick that her baby’s father was the man who raped her, a man called Phil Simmonds. Back in 2001, the episodes which followed this storyline were quite controversial amongst viewers of the show, who didn’t like how it was treated as a ‘who did it’ type storyline. A number of famous faces including the likes of Peter Barlow were in the frame but later ruled out by DNA.

In sad scenes, Toyah was discovered by Jason Grimshaw after she had been raped and beaten during a night out. She told her mum Janice that she wasn’t aware of who attacked her as she was barely conscious at the time.

She was given counselling and hospital treatment, but the ordeal of what happened to her sadly meant she had developed agoraphobia, and feared going outside. She was unaware of who attacked and raped her until a man she considered to be a good friend of hers, Phil, came by to check on her and she realised he had raped her as she recognised the voice.

Realising what she experienced was at the hands of Phil, she tried to escape and he held her hostage. Peter saved her, breaking down the door and knocking him out, after hearing her scream.

In the end, Phil was imprisoned – and he asked Toyah to come and visit him, insisting he would plead guilty if she did. She did come and visit him, for her own closure, as vile Phil tried to explain his actions.