Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street has finally confirmed plans for Carla Connor and DS Lisa Swain’s friendship to take a romantic twist.
The pair’s connection intensifies next month as a tender moment leaves Carla confused over how she feels.
Carla and Lisa have both leaned on each other for support over the past few months, leaving fans to wonder whether their growing bond could eventually lead to more.
Scenes airing in early October see Carla accept support and comfort from Lisa after another difficult time.
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The day in question sees Carla face court on ABH charges after she recently knocked a young thug off his bike with her car door.
After getting through the court case, Carla is alarmed when the lad’s father follows her back to Underworld and becomes threatening.
Lisa comes to Carla’s rescue but when they have a heart-to-heart, Carla is visibly affected by a gentle touch from her friend.
Carla then questions her feelings, wondering what she has just experienced and whether Lisa felt it too.
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Speaking about the upcoming scenes, Alison King – who plays Carla – explained: “As the day starts, we see her with a letter which has really rocked her.
“Later, she’s been pushed to the edge and she’s had to justify herself in the courtroom. Outside she’s still making digs about the lad to Ryan when the dad appears and says: ‘That’s my son’.
“She snaps back, making out he deserved it, especially with a dad like him, which probably isn’t a great move! She’s in a really vulnerable state on that day. She’s had this letter, there’s a lot going on in her head and she just snaps. She’s trying to defend herself, although really she’s got no defence whatsoever for what she did.
“She goes back to the factory, tells everybody to go home, then suddenly this lunatic appears, coming at her and really raising his voice in quite threatening behaviour.
“So she just goes into fight or flight and tries to flee but then Lisa appears and steps in, we hope just at the right time, but Carla’s really shaken by it.”
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Elaborating on the mysterious letter Carla has received, Alison confirmed: “She goes home and she starts drinking. It transpires that the letter was her divorce from Peter coming through. She goes into a kind of morose, maudlin mode.
“It’s just the end of a really, really bad day, and tough as she is, she’s feeling very sorry for herself.”
Shortly afterwards, Lisa returns to check on Carla following the earlier incident.
This leads to their moment of chemistry, opening up a new chapter of the storyline.
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Alison explained: “I think Carla’s still in shock and she’s very much in the moment. There is a real friendship growing between them and the fact that Lisa’s come around to check on her really means something to Carla. I think because she’s taken Betsy on, there’s a kind of kindred spirit forming.
“We’ve seen Lisa have a bad day and Carla being a shoulder to lean on. She’s got a lot of understanding about how difficult Betsy is, she’s just come out of a relationship herself so she understands some of the loss Lisa is feeling after Becky.
“It’s been a long time since Carla has had a female friend, somebody who’s actually leaning on her but is also a powerhouse in her own right. Now Lisa is there for her, she’s leaning on Lisa for the first time and it’s becoming quite a confusing friendship.
“Lisa keeps appearing, she’s always there because of that link through Betsy, and there’s a bond growing between them that Carla can’t quite define.”
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Alison continued: “I’m loving working with Vicky [Myers, who plays Lisa]. She’s an absolute trooper and she’s very talented. I’m enjoying seeing their friendship coming through. With this friendship, we’re seeing a more vulnerable side in them both, rather than just two very strong women.
“It’s nice to see Carla opening up to another woman, rather than it all being intermingled with men. She’s suddenly got somebody around that really gets her.
“She has that closeness and banter with Ryan at home, but with Lisa she can show that vulnerability that she so often hides. Lisa’s so serious but she quite likes it and she doesn’t really know why, because in that sense they’re polar opposite.”
She added: “I think every step of this friendship is taking her by surprise. The closeness between them for Carla comes from concern, yet at times she can’t really put her finger on what this is.”
Coronation Street airs these scenes on Monday, October 7.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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