Coronation Street spoilers: Stella makes shock announcement

Gathering the likes of Gloria and Eva around her, Stella will reveal that she’s set a date to marry the man who, unbeknownst to everyone, burned down the Rovers and brought about he demise of Sunita Alahan.

“Now that Gloria has come up trumps, she decides she does want to marry him. Silly woman!” says Michelle Collins, who plays Stella. “Karl is really relieved because this is what he did everything for! In a way, he thinks this will be closure after what happened and he can start to begin his life afresh. They came in together to run the pub and now it looks as though everything is going to go back to the way it was.”

So is she totally oblivious to the fact that Karl has become this dangerous figure who seems prepared to go to extreme lengths to cover his actions? “There’s something not right with him and she can’t put her finger on what it is. She is worried about him. She thinks it could be post-traumatic stress, but she has no idea that it’s guilt. She doesn’t think his behaviour is anything ominous but it isn’t quite right. Yet she’s blinkered by love or a desperation to cling to something. If he did leave her at this moment in time she would fall apart.”

So is the actress looking forward to Stella finding out exactly what he’s been up to? “Yes, I’m interested to find out how it’s going to happen and when. To find out that somebody you are madly in love with and who you’ve finally forgiven and got back with has done what he’s done is going to be devastating for her. It could tip her over the edge and it will be great to see how she’s going to come back from that.”