Has Kayla left Coronation Street for good?
Bethany's tormentor turned BFF could soon be back
Just days after holding her hostage, Coronation Street's Kayla Clifton broke down in victim Bethany Platt's arms after confronting her abusive dad Neil, finally seeing his evil true colours and apologising for her revenge campaign.
In dramatic scenes aired on Friday 27 July, the corrupt cop's daughter formed a surprising bond with Bethany, having been previously convinced she'd lied about Neil's sick sex crimes thanks to her fiendish father's brainwashing.
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Since hearing Craig Tinker's recording of Neil's confession, the scales have fallen from Kayla's eyes and tonight she begged forgiveness from Ms Platt, who encouraged her to face her father over his lies and manipulation.
While this marks an end to Kayla's time on the cobbles, actress Mollie Winnard has made a big impression on fans who are wondering if she'll be back. RadioTimes.com understands that while the character was brought in for a specific story with a definite ending, the door is open for a possible return if there's more story to tell.
We reckon Kayla's a star in the making, so we've compiled a compendium of potential plots for Ms Clifton's possible Corrie comeback…
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Girl power
Bethany needs a female friend her own age (she can't hang out with Craig, Mary and her mum all the time) and with Kayla's understanding of her painful past there's an immediate depth to these two being BFFs. Chuck in stylist Emma Brooker, who was at school with Bethany, and you've got a trio of feisty teenage girls that could be the next generation of strong Weatherfield women. Think Ena, Minnie and Martha with better hair.
Love triangles
She may have been playing him at first, but we believe Kayla's feelings for gentle giant Craig were genuine by the end. Everyone wants troubled Craig to end up with Bethany, but Kayla's presence could put a spanner in the works and provide some much-needed plot obstacles to the path of true love. She could also be a potential love interest for other single fellas on the street - Ryan Connor perhaps? There's another love triangle with Bethany in the making, would it be 'sisters before misters'?
Weatherfield vigilante
Kidnapping, assault and stalking - Kayla's certainly got a dark side, what if the impact of her father's crimes led her to an obsessive campaign to clean up the streets of Salford of sexual predators? She could return on a mission to track down every member of Neil and Nathan's grooming ring and leave them to rot in her double garage, perhaps convincing an unsure Bethany to join her crusade in order to get some closure.
Pulling pints
The future of the Rovers is in flux, but whether it's gobby Gemma and hooray Henry, or Connor power couple Johnny and Jenny taking over they'll need new staff. There's a touch of barmaid Tina McIntyre about Kayla, and we can just see her pulling pints of Newton and Ridley for the locals. Plus we know she's handy with her fists (just ask Bethany) so she could break up a brawl and bar rowdy punters as easily as dishing out hot pots.
Save Speed Daal
Kayla appeared to be the only waitress employed at the Victoria Street eatery, so she might need to return purely for practical reasons to give overworked Yasmeen a hand and stop the place from going under as yet another member of staff deserts the cobbles' cursed curry house. Zeedan went to London, Ryan's off in Ibiza, Sophie's too preoccupied with little Jack's illness - Speed Daal needs you, Kayla…
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