CORONATION Street viewers have been left outraged as they fear that another iconic character is being written out in a shock soap twist.
Julie Carp – who is played by actress Katy Cavanagh in the ITV soap – made a shock return to the cobbles after 10 years last week.
Julie Carp’s devastating secret has been revealed[/caption]
Fans are up in arms as speculation mounts over a shocking soap exit – but will this beloved character really be saying goodbye for good?[/caption]
Fans were confused when Julie seemed desperate to leave Weatherfield before coming face to face with her sister Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver).
But last night’s episode revealed that she has good reason – and it’s heartbreaking.
Having run into nephew Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) at the hotel and accidentally left her luggage behind for Todd to take home, Julie snuck into Eileen’s house to retrieve it.
Catching her and wondering why she was being so cagey, Todd opened her bag and pulled out a bag of pills.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” said George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) as he picked up Julie’s medical pack.
Todd, took and looked before saying: “Cancer?”
As Eileeen began to come in Julie begged them to keep quiet about what they’d discovered.
Instead she plastered on a smile and went to lunch with her sister, trying to cover up that she’d been in Weatherfield for a few days already.
After a few run-ins, Julie got through it and made her excuses to leave – insisting she had to leave for work.
Todd took her back to her hotel and they sat down to talk and she told him the truth of what happened.
“Sarcoma,” she told him.
“That’s what the cancer’s called. It started in the soft tissue around my stomach.”
And sadly she told Todd it was terminal.
“It’s stage four, it’s spread to my liver and lungs,” she said. “The chemo can slow it down but it can’t cure it.”
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
A tearful Todd said: “Oh Julie. Have they said how long you’ve got?”
“If I’m lucky I’ll see this summer,” she said.
“Now you know why I didn’t want to stay. Last thing you need is me killing the vibes.
“There’s no point crying about it. I’ve just got to make the most of the time I’ve got left.
“I’m seeing some specialists in alternative palliative care, that’s why I’m here. It might buy me a few months but that’s it.”
Todd begged her to tell his mum but Julie insisted on keeping it a secret.
She told him: “I’ve been perfectly fine by myself up until now. I don’t mean to burden her.
“I want her to remember me how I was, not how I’ll become. Can you give me that?”
Furious Corrie fans have taken to social media fearful bosses will kill off the iconic character and blasted the decision.
They called it a “disgrace” and accused the soap of ruining the cobbles’ legacy.
Taking to X – formerly Twitter – one fan fumed: “Bringing back Julie just too kill her off. Unbelievable.”
Another raged: “Well done Corrie – two episodes in and you’ve successfully and irreparably ruined Julie’s comeback story. We’re honestly speechless after tonight’s development.”
A third said: “The decision to kill off Julie is a disgrace! The abysmal hospital set looms large.”
A fourth chimed in: “I don’t understand why Corrie has brought back a character that could bring so much fun and happiness to the street when it desperately needs it! but they have of course made her sick and given her a a depressing storyline. GIVE US SOME LIGHT PLEASE!!! justice for Julie!!”
The character debuted on-screen on 25th April 2008 and was originally introduced as a new girlfriend of established character Kirk Sutherland (Andy Whyment).
In a later storyline she was revealed to be Eileen Grimshaw’s (Sue Cleaver) half-sister.
Will the beloved character really be saying goodbye for good?
Coronation Street continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
