Gemma continues her new job (Picture: ITV)
The future of the Rovers Return hangs in the balance in upcoming Coronation Street episodes – and Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell) puts her marriage to Chesney (Sam Aston) on the line to help save the pub from property developers.
The very thought of property developers getting their hands on the iconic venue and turning it into flats (or whatever) is unthinkable, so the stakes are very high as Jenny (Sally Ann Matthews) realises she can’t make ends meet. Her ideal outcome is for the brewery to buy the Rovers, so she, Daisy (Charlotte Jordan) and Glenda (Jodie Prenger) put on an event to try to impress the Newtons.
Glenda loses her voice on the day of the event, but books replacement singer Glyn Young instead. Glyn is a bit of a disappointment when he turns up, and Glenda and Daisy panic wondering whether the whole night is going to be a disaster.
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Possibly the entertainment isn’t the biggest disaster, though, as Henry Newton (George Banks) breaks the news to Jenny that the brewery won’t be buying the pub because he’s looked at the accounts and it doesn’t look like a good investment.
It’s a disaster for the whole community and Steve (Simon Gregson) and George (Tony Maudsley) set up a crowdfunding page to try to raise the funds Jenny needs.
George has another suggestion, though. He talks to Gemma about her history with Henry Newton – at one point they were a couple and Henry even tried to buy the Rovers for them until Jenny and Johnny Connor (Richard Hawley) made a better offer. Henry then tried to scam Jenny and Johnny out of compensation for an accident that he staged himself to pay off some money he owed, and Gemma washed her hands of him.
Gemma is confronted by Chesney (Picture: ITV)
George’s idea is that Gemma could use her ‘womanly wiles’ on Henry and get him to change his mind about buying the pub.
Of course given her history with Henry this is not something that goes down well with Chesney, but Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove) convinces him that he needs to trust Gemma and not worry about her working with Henry.
Gemma meets henry in the precinct and tells him she’ll work for him as his PA if he promises to save the pub. He agrees – but will he make good on his promise?
And will Chesney be able to support Gemma’s new role working for his former love rival?
‘When you meet an old flame you can’t help but be reminded of the times you had together and for him they were good times before it all went wrong and that was his fault’, George Banks said, reflecting on Henry and Gemma’s connection.
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‘I do think it runs deeper with them as well. I think she makes him feel alive. She makes him feel comfortable being who he is and that’s not something that he’s not felt like anybody else. To have somebody remind you that you can be fun and you can be nice and you can lift them up when they’re down.
‘It’s quite intoxicating for him. Those feelings do start to resurface. But whether or not he chooses to do anything about it is something that will come out as the storyline develops.’
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It’s risky, but it could work.