Coronation Street’s Leanne Battersby set to recruit new cult members – as Rowan story takes darkest turn yet
Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) is drawn deeper into a cult in Coronation Street soon, as leader Rowan (Emryhs Cooper) tells her she’ll soon be able to recruit members herself.
While Leanne believes she is part of a self-help group that’s passionate about positivity, Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) know the organisation is corrupt and have been desperately trying to make her see sense.
Coming up, Toyah is horrified to get a delivery of yellow roses and immediately knows they link to Rose, her stillborn baby girl she buried near a rose bush in the early 2000s.
A furious Toyah confronts Leanne with the roses and card. Moments later, Leanne admits she told Rowan about Toyah’s baby.
‘She feels massively betrayed, because at first Leanne denies that she told Rowan, then even when it does come out and she knows she’s lied, Leanne is still on the backfoot and trying to deny it’, Georgia Taylor said.
‘Leanne won’t accept that Rowan would do anything like that because she just thinks he’s this perfect human. It feels like the ultimate betrayal because when Toyah’s at her most vulnerable, when she’s grieving the loss of a child, she still feels like her sister’s not there for her.
When Leanne returns to the flat, a guilty Nick quizzes her about Rowan and she assures him she’d never cheat.
Later, Rowan arrives at the Bistro on his motorbike. He hands Leanne a spare helmet and says he’s got a surprise for her.
Leanne happily follows, leaving Nick and Toyah to cope with the lunchtime rush all alone.
At a hotel restaurant, Rowan introdues Leanne to Willow, the CEO of the Institute. He then tells a flattered Leanne she will soon be able to recruit new members herself.
Meanwhile, as Toyah sets off for her Institute court case, she receives a phone call.
Rushing into A&E, Toyah tells the nurse on the desk that she had a call to inform her sister, Leanne, has been involved in a motorbike accident.
‘I can’t wait, it’s going to be so good to play’, Georgia added, discussing the inevitable moment of Rowan’s downfall.
‘But I have to say, I’m loving working with Emrhys. We’ve had quite a few scenes now where they have a big stand off and they’re so delicious. Everything he’s doing is just so understated but really creepy at the same time and subversive.
‘He’s also an absolute delight to be on set with, he’s such a nice man in real life so I don’t want it to be too soon but when he is taken down I want it to be something massive and dramatic and humiliating.’
