Carla blackmailed by newcomer Chelsey in Coronation Street - but what did she do?

Producer Iain MacLeod teased to RadioTimes.com back in December that fan favourite Carla, who has not been at the centre of a big plot since 2019's factory roof collapse that drove her to a psychological breakdown, would be back in focus in 2020.

During the breakdown the character fled the cobbles and was missing for some weeks. When she was finally found in a dingy squat, the former Underworld boss was a broken, fragile mess who barely recognised any of her loved ones and with no memory of where she'd been.

After being slowly nursed back to health at a medical facility, Carla has got on with her life with partner Peter Barlow, but the arrival of aggressive Chelsey into the pub will shed light on what really went on in Carla's 'lost weeks' as the past comes back to haunt her.

Next week, Mrs Connor insists she has never met this intimidating newcomer before, and is shocked when Chelsey says they shared the same aforementioned squat last year and threatens if she doesn't get £1,000 she'll blab to the locals about what she did - only Carla can't recall what that is…

Shaken Carla tells Peter about the blackmail, then Chelsey returns with pal Jordan who ran the squat and informs Carla she owes him for the drugs she apparently destroyed. But there is more to the story…

Desperate to help his other half, Peter confronts Jordan and Chelsey and after a showdown in the bar the skanky pair are sent on their way.

Angry Peter slips off for a few hours, and later there's a report on the local radio about an assault on a man and a woman at a local estate - which the Barlow bloke is careful to ensure Carla doesn't hear…

Has Peter dealt with Carla's blackmail and put himself at risk of being arrested? And what exactly did Carla get up to in the squat?

MacLeod teases this will be a testing time for the popular couple, but appears to assure fans they can survive the obstacles ahead: "Carla and Peter are our Taylor and Burton and at their best when they're at their most explosive.

"This will be a tricky time for them, what Peter discovers about this missing chapter is hard for him to swallow, but he will ultimately be proud of her for overcoming it."

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