Coronation Street spoilers: Steve and Michelle to split up, confirms Kym Marsh

"Steve's depression is going to seriously test their relationship and they are heading for a split," reveals the actress. "It's going to be a very difficult time for them both. It'll be interesting to see if they come through it stronger than before and how long before they can be back together as a couple."

Michelle - who has no idea that Steve is suffering with depression - will be seen offering her partner an ultimatum: either he tells her what's wrong or she's leaving.

Steve, for his part, has been indulging in retail therapy rather than psychotherapy, channelling all his efforts into restoring a sports car rather than solving his problems with Michelle. With Steve unable to verbalise his concerns, Michelle announces to the Rovers regulars that she and Steve are finished.

Best mate Lloyd tries to get Steve to apologise to Michelle, but he sits in his car unresponsive, unable to deal with his emotions. "Michelle has given Steve lots of opportunities to tell her what's wrong and she's pushed it as far as she can at the moment," says Marsh. "She, of course, wants to believe that everything is OK, but she knows deep down that it's not."

And how would Michelle react were she to discover that Steve has problems with his mental health? "If and when she finds out about the depression, it's going to be a relief in some way. She'll obviously be devastated and concerned for Steve, but if she knows what's wrong then she can start to help him. This will be a love story. Michelle will hopefully be the one who saves him at the end of the day, but first of all he has to ask for help."

You can watch a RadioTimes.com video interview with Kym Marsh and Simon Gregson below. And beneath that, there's a 60-second rundown of all next week's drama on Coronation Street: