Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street’s Carla Connor and Lisa Swain get the mother of all shocks next week, when a newborn baby is left on their doorstep. The unexpected arrival throws the couple’s lives into chaos – but who is this little girl, and why do Lisa and Carla have to look after her?
The baby drama begins when Carla finds the child strapped into a car seat outside No.6. Stunned by the discovery, she looks around and spies a woman dashing away as fast as she can.
Managing to catch up with her before she does a runner, Carla quizzes the mystery lady, who reveals what’s going on – and the identity of the baby.
“Carla’s brother Rob had a fling with a prison guard called Mandy,” recaps our Corrie source. “Baby Connie is a result of that ill-fated fumble behind bars – which makes her Carla’s niece.
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“Little Connie’s grandmother is heading into hospital for a while, so is sneakily trying to leave the tot with Carla to babysit and flee before she can refuse.”
Having been abandoned by her grandma on the cobbles, Connie is left behind with her astonished auntie. This baby bombshell doesn’t sit well with Carla, and she initially refuses to have anything to do with her niece. But Lisa has other ideas…
“As if Rob Donovan hadn’t brought enough trouble into their lives, now he’s disrupting things again,” our spy continues. “Although, as Lisa points out, this isn’t Connie’s fault. She can’t help that her dad is a wrong’un who wants nothing to do with her.
“More to the point, if Carla won’t take in Connie while the rest of her family aren’t around, she’ll end up going into care. Is that really what Carla wants for her own flesh and blood?”
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Despite Carla’s insistence, Lisa manages to tug at her fiancée’s heartstrings enough to make her agree to letting Connie stay on the street. She knows deep down it’s the right thing to do, but Carla has no idea what she’s letting herself and the rest of her family in for…
Connie’s first night in her temporary new home is a noisy affair, as the little mite has trouble settling and keeps the entire household awake. Carla, Lisa, Betsy and Ryan are bleary-eyed over breakfast, having barely had a wink of sleep thanks to Connie’s crying. Was this really a good idea?
“It’s barely been 24 hours and everyone’s utterly exhausted,” our insider warns. “Carla took some persuading not to turn her back on Connie, as she thought she and Lisa would spend the next few weeks organising their upcoming wedding, not being knee-deep in nappies and sleepless nights.”
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Meanwhile, nosy neighbour Sally Metcalfe offers to lend a hand with some parenting tips to help Lisa and Carla cope.
As they adjust to their new responsibilities, Lisa is pleased as she notices Carla bonding with Connie the more time she spends with her. Could Auntie Carla end up so attached, she won’t want to let Connie go when the time comes?
Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – featuring an unexpected pregnancy, dark new alliances, and secretive newcomers causing chaos on the cobbles.