His words were devastating.
Peter Barlow’s (Chris Gascoyne) confession left wife Carla (Alison King) broken in tonight’s emotional Coronation Street (22nd December 2023), ahead of a special swan song for the couple.
Fans have known for quite some time that Peter will be leaving, and Boxing Day sees a two-hander episode dedicated to his relationship with Carla before his makes his exit.
Tonight, though, it was Christmas Eve on the cobbles, and Carla, Peter and his son Simon (Alex Bain) discussed their plans for the festive season. A postcard also arrived from Peter’s pal Mickey, who was sailing around on something of a tour – something Peter himself had wanted to join in with.
Meanwhile, Carla revealed that she and father-in-law Ken (William Roache) had discussed a ‘dry Christmas’ in solidarity of Peter, who has remained sober through a particularly tough year.
Peter protested that his family didn’t need to join him on the wagon, and invited Carla to his alcoholics’ support meeting.
Once there, Peter joined his peers in talking about how they would be spending Christmas. But Carla, sensing that Peter still wasn’t his usual self, urged him to open up. In heartbreaking scenes, Peter confided that he felt he didn’t have anything to look forward to anymore.
At home, the couple had a heart-to-heart, and Carla was devastated to know that Peter was in such a fragile mindset.
Carla asked if their love wasn’t enough and whether he was going to leave her, and Peter assured her that of course, he loved her very much; but he no longer knew who he was, and needed to be more than just her husband.
Later, Simon joined them just as Peter opened a package containing his Christmas gift to Ken – a photo album he’d had made with old pictures of a young, handsome Ken.
Also featured were Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride) with a young Tracy (now played by Kate Ford), and Ken’s parents Ida (Noel Dyson) and Frank Barlow (Frank Pemberton). The trio shared a laugh as they looked fondly over the photos, while Carla continued to dwell on Peter’s situation.
At Underworld, Carla got to work ordering her gift for Peter, and showed Sarah Barlow (Tina O’Brien), who seemed shocked as she asked Carla if she was sure about what she was doing. Carla insisted that she didn’t have much choice – but what has she done?
Read more:
- Coronation Street star teases Carla and Peter’s “emotional” final scenes
- Coronation Street spoilers for Christmas and New Year: Peter’s emotional exit
- Coronation Street’s Lucy Fallon promises revival of Bethany’s feisty side
- Coronation Street star teases secret reason for Bethany Platt’s return
Coronation Street airs a 30 minute Christmas Day episode at 7pm on ITV. You can watch Carla and Peter’s Boxing Day farewell at 7.30pm.
Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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