Coronation Street icon Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) is a person who really values having her family around her.
She’s devoted to her brother Kevin (Michael Le Vell), his wife Abi (Sally Carman) and their children, and since her other brother Carl (Jonathan Howard) arrived in Weatherfield from Germany, Debbie has enjoyed being in the centre of the Webster clan.
When Kevin was diagnosed with testicular cancer, Debbie was determined to step up. She did everything she could to support him as he was going through his treatment, taking care of the kids, helping out with the housework and even booking a holiday for the family when Kev’s treatment was over.
In the middle of all this Debbie was facing her own diagnosis of dementia, and at first she refused to tell any of the family because she didn’t want to pile more worry on Kevin and Abi as they went through a difficult time.
What Debbie doesn’t know – yet – is that Carl and Abi have been carrying on a secret affair, something that threatens to blow the whole family apart if it becomes public knowledge.
Kevin adores Abi and has already wondered whether there’s something between her and Carl. In a desperate bid to keep Abi with him he even pretended he still needed cancer treatment after he’d been told that he didn’t, a misguided plan that ended up sending Abi straight into Carl’s arms.
In upcoming episodes, Kevin has good news about his health. He’s cancer free, and for the first time in ages he can look forward to the future. For Kevin, the perfect future consists of him and Abi growing old together and perhaps doing up old cars as a sideline.
As he invites Abi to share this vision, she realises it’s the last thing she wants and it’s cruel to keep Kevin believing that they have a future together. She tells him she thinks they should break up.
Presumably Debbie will be one of the first people Kevin will confide in after this devastating news.
So when Debbie arrives at the door of Carl’s room at the hotel, she’s shocked when she finds he isn’t alone – he’s with Abi.
