There were heartbreaking scenes in tonight’s Coronation Street (8th April) as Laura Neelan (Kel Allen) passed away from stomach cancer – and daughter Kelly (Millie Gibson) was too late to say goodbye.
Kelly had been adamant all week that she had no interest in seeing her mum, following Laura’s confession that she murdered Kelly’s gangster father Rick (Greg Wood). While terminally-ill Laura remained under police watch from her hospital bed, a guilt-ridden Gary Windass (Mikey North) struggled to keep his composure as he tried to persuade Kelly to visit her mother.
Fans know that it was actually Gary who killed Rick in self-defence a few years ago, and he recently admitted everything to Laura after a private investigator tipped her off about Gary’s suspicious connection to Rick.
With Laura desperately needing Rick to be declared dead so she could ensure Kelly was set up for life with his money, she chose to hand herself in to the police as the culprit, knowing that Gary and his wife Maria (Samia Longchambon) had pledged to look after her vulnerable daughter.
But Kelly was furious when her mum was charged with murder, and vowed that she didn’t want anything to do with Laura. Gary came close to crumbling over their secret, but Laura instructed him that Kelly must never know the truth.
Tonight, Kelly continued to dismiss all pleas over her dying mum, instead basking in the glory of her award as she won Trainee Barber of the Year. At the hospital, Laura only had mere hours left to live, and told Gary “I just want my baby”.
Gary raced to the awards do and warned Kelly that time was rapidly running out to make things right with her mum, but a tipsy Kelly ignored him. Maria headed to the hospital to sit with Laura, where she thanked the other woman for the massive sacrifice she had made. But Laura was devastated that there was still no sign of Kelly.
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Later, Kelly confided in Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) who also encouraged her to go and see her mum. When Gary caught up with the teen, she was finally ready to face Laura. But when they arrived, they met a sobbing Maria who informed them that they were too late – Laura had died.
In emotional and harrowing scenes, Kelly was inconsolable as she found her mum’s room and climbed onto her bed to wrap her arms around her. With standout performances from Allen and Gibson, Friday’s instalment of Corrie had the nation weeping.
With the regret of not spending those last precious moments together weighing heavily on Kelly, how will she cope in the aftermath of her mum’s death? And will Gary be able to handle his part in everything?
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