Will Sinead die in childbirth on Coronation Street?

Coronation Street will put the lives of both Sinead (Katie McGlynn) and her newborn baby on the line next week when the ailing mum-to-be is induced. The upcoming drama will see pregnant Sinead receive the devastating news that her cancer has grown and that she needs to give birth imminently.

But after Sinead delivers a boy, she ends up passing out just as the baby is being whisked away to neonatal. Corrie viewers will then be left fearing that partner Daniel (Rob Mallard) is to lose everything.

New images released today on the official Corrie website show Daniel introducing dad Ken (William Roache) to his son, a look of concern clear on his face. And a subsequent scene finds a doctor explaining that he needs to examine the baby privately. Is Daniel about to be left grief-stricken?

Speaking back in December, show boss Iain MacLeod admitted that he hasn't yet decided whether Sinead will survive her battle with cervical cancer: "It’s a really long-running story and we genuinely haven’t decided what we’re doing with the ending.

"But the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes to kill Sinead because Katie and Rob [Mallard, who plays Daniel] have been so good in it. They’re almost acting their way off the butcher’s block."

• Which 'dead' Coronation Street character is actually still alive?
• Where have you seen Paul on Coronation Street before?

The producer went on to add: "I have an open mind about it – there’s a beautiful story to tell with an optimistic ending, but equally, a truthful story where it doesn’t work out. As to which is the right one, I’ll get more of a sense at the next writers’ conference. But if anyone were acting their way onto a long term tenure on the show it would be Katie and Rob."

Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.