There was a surprise for Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) in Wednesday (February 19)’s Coronation Street when he spotted a very familiar face while he was at a tea dance at Chariot Square Hotel. It was his aunt, Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh).
Julie hasn’t been seen in Weatherfield since her exit in 2015. Relations soured between her and her sister Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) when she had a fling with Eileen’s then-boyfriend Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson).
She then embarked on a relationship with Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) and left with him in 2015 – although he later returned on his own after they broke up.
Katy Cavanagh was pleased to get the call to reprise her role as part of Eileen’s exit storyline, saying, ‘It is exciting to dust off Julie’s quirky wardrobe again and an absolute joy to step back onto the cobbles. Julie is so much fun, I’ve missed her.’
Todd was also pleased to see his aunt and they sat down for a catch up, along with George (Tony Maudsley), who’d come to find Todd to apologise for mentally scarring him after Todd walked in on George and Eileen sharing an intimate moment. At the funeral parlour.
Todd was ready to fill Julie in with all the news, including the fact that her and Eileen’s former love, Jesse, had recently married ‘Gail from number eight.’ This is a particularly spicy bit of gossip given how fierce the rivalry between Eileen and Gail used to be.
Todd was certain that Eileen would be thrilled to see her half sister again but Julie was evasive, making them promise not to say anything to Eileen because she wanted to surprise her and have a proper catch-up.
This set no alarm bells ringing for Todd and George although they certainly would have for any seasoned soap watcher, as Julie is obviously keeping secrets.
Producer Kate Brooks confirmed this. ’As the ever lovable Julie breezes back into the lives of the Grinshaws, not everything is quite as it seems,’ she warned. ‘Julie’s secret sets off a chain of events that has huge ramifications for Eileen.’
So while Julie said she’d be seeing Eileen the next day, as soon as she was on her own she was straight on the phone to book a taxi to take her to the station at the crack of dawn – clearly wanting to be out of Weatherfield as soon as possible.
What’s she trying to hide? And how will Eileen react to the discovery that her sister is back in town?
