Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street’s Summer Spellman hits the bottle in emotional scenes next week, as it’s clear that she’s not coping with the recent tragedies in her life. Viewers have seen Summer’s world turned upside-down once again this month, as she lost another one of her dads when Billy Mayhew died.
The kind-hearted student is currently involved in the preparations for Billy’s funeral, after he met a heartbreaking fate in the soap crossover special Corriedale. But fans have already noticed that she’s not her usual self – especially when she recently slapped Debbie Webster, bitterly blaming her for Billy’s demise.
Next week, police detective Kit Green gives Summer her rucksack back after it was stolen.
When Summer looks inside, she’s surprised to find that the box containing Paul Foreman’s ashes is still there. On one hand, it’s a relief not to have lost this reminder of Paul – and Dev Alahan reckons it’s a sign from the universe. But it’s still an emotional time for Summer as she now starts to reflect on Paul’s death too.
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Later, Summer is left in charge of the corner shop when Dev heads off to the wholesalers.
Abandoning her usual sense of responsibility, Summer seeks an escape by helping herself to alcohol from the shop fridges.
Summer drinks away unnoticed, until Roy Cropper pops in for some sweets.
Roy’s stunned to find Summer drunk behind the counter. Will he abandon his plans for the day so he can help her out?
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“Drinking heavily like this is a risk for Summer, as she needs to keep an eye on her blood sugar levels after being diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago,” our Corrie source reminds us.
“Summer throwing caution to the wind like this is a clear sign of her troubled state of mind. Fortunately, Roy has his own experiences with grief – not to mention dealing with wayward young people – so he may well be the best person to get her back on the right track.”
Harriet Bibby, who plays Summer, recently spoke to Inside Soap about what’s next for her character – and whether she could help Todd Grimshaw out of his current nightmare with his abusive partner Theo Silverton.
“I would love that,” she explained. “I mean, me as Harriet sat at home watching it, I’m thinking, ‘Come on, Summer, do something!’ I would love for Summer to help Todd get out of that situation.
“He’s really all that she’s got left of a parental figure now. She needs Todd as much as Todd needs Summer and it would be lovely to see her help him.”
Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. This week’s episode explores soap shocks galore, from Debbie’s big secret in Coronation Street, to the return of Mark Fowler Jnr in EastEnders.