Coronation Street airs distressing Debbie Webster scenes as secret implodes in ITVX release
Warning: Contains spoilers for Wednesday's episode of Coronation Street, which airs at 8.30pm on ITV1 or can be streamed now on ITVX.
Secrets rarely stay uncovered in Coronation Street, and in today's episode, Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) has been forced to confront the biggest skeleton in her closet.
For almost 40 years, Debbie has allowed her son Carl (Jonathan Howard) to believe he is her younger brother. As a result, she's felt compelled to lie through her teeth in court to cover his back – making out that she was the one driving the car that caused a multi-vehicle pile-up following her wedding.
The fan-favourite is now facing a number of years behind bars, which could lead to her young-onset dementia symptoms worsening.
Guilt-ridden Carl finally seemed to want to set the record straight, and jumped in his car to head to the police station.
Debbie got wind of what was happening and tried to stop him, and he couldn't understand why she was so eager to protect him.
With nowhere left to turn, she dropped the bombshell that she is actually his mother, having fallen pregnant after a one-night stand aged 17. The Webster family moved to Germany, and she feared she would be unable to give him the upbringing he deserved.
As a result, her dad Bill and step-mum Elaine raised him.
For Carl, this explained why he'd always had somewhat of a strained relationship with Elaine, and also why Debbie prevented her from reaching out in her dying days.
Debbie also said she hoped that by taking the wrap for Carl's misdemeanours, it would allow her to face a punishment for abandoning him and move towards a better relationship between them both. However, from his perspective, he wasn't willing to forgive and forget.
He'd decided not to hand himself in, and said that when she finally received her sentence, he wouldn't be visiting her in prison.
With the floor falling from beneath her feet, a broken Debbie wondered if she'd made a mammoth mistake.
Will she have a change of heart about covering for him after his cruel reaction to the revelation?
Read more:
- Coronation Street to kill classic character off-screen next month over 35 years after debut
- 7 Coronation Street spoilers next week: Carl Webster plans arson attack as fan-favourite returns
- Coronation Street abuser Megan Walsh issues menacing threat to one of her pupils in ITVX release
- Coronation Street villain Carl Webster eyes up vulnerable local in ITVX release
- Coronation Street's Summer Spellman attacks innocent local amid her grief for Billy Mayhew in ITVX release
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Authors
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
