The character has been hiding something truly awful.
Stu Carpenter’s (Bill Fellows) secret was revealed in tonight’s Coronation Street (5th August), as his ex-wife Lucy arrived and dropped an almighty bombshell.
Having befriended many of the Weatherfield locals after spending time living out on the streets, Stu has been living with Yasmeen Metcalfe (Shelley King) for the past few months. Recently, the pair began a tentative but sweet romance – but Stu hasn’t been honest about his past.
Yasmeen recently found an address for Stu’s estranged daughter Bridget, but when he showed up at the house he was turned away. Stu then lied to Yasmeen that he hadn’t been able to find Bridget – but a bigger fib has come back to haunt him.
Stu panicked over his photo being front and centre in the newspaper following an interview about Speed Daal’s charity initiative, and when Lucy appeared, we soon learned why that was. She instructed Stu to stay away from Bridget before telling an intervening Yasmeen that Stu had been in prison for murdering a young woman called Charlie Walter.
Stu told Yasmeen and her granddaughter Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) that he was innocent, but a vulnerable Yasmeen didn’t want to hear any more and ordered him to leave. Still dealing with the trauma of the coercive control late husband Geoff (Ian Bartholomew) subjected her to, Yasmeen was heartbroken by what she had heard about Stu.
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But later, she resolved to find Lucy, needing to know more. As Yasmeen pleaded with Lucy, the latter eventually gave her some background on Stu. She explained that he had worked in a restaurant after his time in the Navy, and then his young colleague was discovered dead with his DNA all over her body.
When Yasmeen spoke of past miscarriages of justice, Lucy added that Stu had confessed to the murder – and to having an affair with Charlie. As she returned to work, Yasmeen declared to Alya that she never wanted to see Stu again, and Alya informed her that Stu had already cleared his stuff from the house.
So, with the news that Stu had already admitted his guilt, what’s the meaning of his protests of innocence? Star Fellows recently told RadioTimes.com and other media that Stu’s story may leave fans divided. He also discussed the impact his secret could have on Yasmeen.
“She’s very triggered, she’s triggered easily,” Fellows explained. “So any lie, maybe she’d blow it out of proportion; though the audience will understand why she’d blow it out of proportion. [Yasmeen] went through a terrible, terrible time; and Stu is the polar opposite of that, he wouldn’t do anything like that but he will tell white lies. That’s men for you!”
The actor’s description of his character reflects what we’ve seen of Stu so far – but given what we now know, is all as it seems?
“I think the audience are going to be shocked, really surprised… Who are you going to be believe? What’s going on? There’s lots of discussions, I think. There’s going to be loads of that about what you feel, what you don’t feel,” he added.
Read more:
- Coronation Street’s Bill Fellows says Stu “heartbroken” over daughter
- Coronation Street star says Stu’s “unexpected” secret is big twist
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