Coronation Street's Leanne Battersby (played by Jane Danson) is set to face another heart-breaking choice in the soap's latest cult storyline.
Fans have been gripped as Leanne has fallen under the influence of The Institute, led by Rowan Cunliffe (Emrhys Cooper), who has been drawing her further into the cult with promises of reuniting her with her son. In a chilling twist, Leanne unveiled an AI version of her late son, Oliver, to her partner Nick Tilsley (Ben Price).
This digital avatar represents what Oliver would look like now had he lived. Leanne has been pulling away from her family and friends to interact with the AI version of Oliver online. In scenes due to air next week, Rowan will ramp up his efforts to isolate Leanne further.
Viewers will see Leanne make the agonising decision to distance herself from her sister Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) while she undergoes surgery. Rowan convinces Leanne that prioritising herself over Toyah's operation is the right move, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In a surprising turn of events, it's Nick who remains at Toyah's side. Meanwhile, Leanne's focus is on The Institute, as Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) tells her she plans to invest her inheritance in the new resource centre, pending Ken's approval.
At the hospital, a consultant approaches Nick with news. He gives Leanne a call, alerting her that Toyah is facing complications and she needs to rush to her side immediately.
However, Rowan doesn't let her go without a fight and continues his efforts to sow discord between Leanne and her family. Rowan confronts Leanne about Amy's decision, but when she insists she doesn't have time for it as she's rushing to see Toyah, he fears he's losing his grip on her. He realises he needs to find another way to manipulate her.
After reuniting with her sister at the hospital, things get more complicated when Nick confesses to Toyah that he's fallen for her and plans to disclose this to Leanne. In the meantime, Nick receives a threatening message from Rowan demanding him to cough up the £20k investment or he'll spill the beans about his affair.
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
