We know that Sue Cleaver is shortly about to leave Coronation Street and the character she’s played for 25 years, Eileen Grimshaw – but there’s still time for plenty of drama before her exit and in an upcoming episode poor Eileen ends up in hospital.
Eileen has been through a lot during her time on the cobbles, including some very risky business when she unknowingly married serial killer Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre) – a man who’d already killed four people.
Since then her life has been considerably quieter and a lot safer and she’s been in a steady relationship with funeral director George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) for some time.
Recently Eileen’s sister Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) returned to the cobbles after several years away and subsequently revealed that she’s dealing with advanced cancer and doesn’t have long to live.
Knowing that her sister is coping with a terminal diagnosis has made Eileen re-evaluate a few things in her own life, and one aspect that’s under review is whether George is really the man for her.
Julie’s former love interest Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) has recently declared that he still loves Julie and wants to be by her side to the very end. George advised Brian not to take this step, and Eileen was furious that he would sabotage Julie’s last shot at happiness with Brian in such a way.
This led to a night on the sofa for George as Eileen banned him from her bed, and in episodes airing soon she’s still having doubts about her relationship and confides in her sister.
Julie’s advice is that she needs to be with a man who’ll make her heart sing and she shouldn’t stick with second best.
Eileen obviously has a lot on her mind and it’s perhaps because of this that she has an accident when she slips in the kitchen. She needs to go to A&E to be checked over, but while this would be the perfect time for George to show how caring and considerate he is, he totally fails.
In fact he tells Eileen that he’s too busy and asks Brian to take her to hospital instead. Eileen is very unimpressed that, even when she needs him most, George doesn’t seem prepared to put her needs first.
Ryan Thomas will be reprising his role as Eileen’s son Jason Grimshaw specially for her exit storyline. What will Jason’s opinion of his mum’s relationship be? Could the rift between Eileen and George be what leads her to leave Weatherfield?
