When Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) returned to Coronation Street recently it was clear she was keeping a secret. Sadly this turned out to be the fact that she’s dying, having been diagnosed with stage four sarcoma, and she only has months to live.
Julie originally wanted to keep the diagnosis secret from those who love her, especially her sister Eileen (Sue Cleaver), but the truth soon came out and Eileen was devastated.
Someone else who was devastated was Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) – Julie’s former partner with whom she left Weatherfield in 2015 to start a new life. Brian subsequently returned to the cobbles alone, revealing that he and Julie had broken up.
Brian got to hear about Julie’s illness in a shocking way, after an argument erupted between Eileen and Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) and Eileen blurted out that Julie had cancer – in front of a stunned Brian and a horrified Julie.
Brian was hurt that Julie hadn’t confided in him about her illness. She found it difficult to talk about and said she hadn’t wanted things to change between them.
Brian told her she was the strongest person he knew. Julie later told Eileen that this wasn’t true and she was, in fact, terrified about what was to come.
In upcoming episodes Julie decides to spend the money that’s been raised for her to go on a trip to the Lake District.
She’s already in a lot of pain and when Roy (David Neilson) offers her a heated wheat bag, telling her that Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh) found them very comforting when she was ill, Julie breaks down in tears.
Brian knows that life is too short!
Brian talks to Roy, telling him that he’s still in love with Julie. Roy urges him to tell Julie how he feels.
Later the minibus breaks down and the trip to the Lakes has to be cancelled. Julie insists that she’s happy just to be with her friends.
Brian takes this opportunity to declare his love for her and says he wants to be by her side until the very end.
