Corrie’s Rob Donovan’s steamy affair with prison guard threatens Carla’s kidney donation as he plots his escape
CORONATION Street’s Rob Donovan’s steamy affair with a prison guard threatens to jeopardise Carla Connor’s kidney donation as he plots his escape.
Lifer Rob played by Marc Baylis. 47. is behind bars at Weatherfield’s Highfield Prison for the murder of Michelle Keegan’s character Tina McIntyre in 2014.
Rebecca Atkinson, 41 , who played man-eater Karen Maguire on Channel 4’s Shameless, works at the prison as warder Mandy.
In tonight’s saucy episode, Mandy, the prison guard, collects Rob from his cell, checks he still wants to go ahead with his plan and kisses him passionately.
Elsewhere, having taken a call from the hospital, Carla tells Lisa that Rob has had an allergic reaction to some antibiotics and has been rushed to hospital.
When Carla visits Rob in hospital, Mandy tells Carla that the consultant needs a word with her and she heads off leaving the pair behind.
Mandy then uncuffs Rob – will the pair make a run for it?
In the next episode, Carla is thrown into panic when she receives an email confirming that Rob is a suitable match for the transplant and the operations will take place tomorrow.
Carla visits Rob in prison and drops the bombshell. How will Rob react?
But, later in week when the doctor reveals that there’s been a delay with Carla’s operation, she worries Rob is going to back out.
Will Rob let Carla down and has it all been a con from the start?
Yesterday The Sun told how Corrie bosses have reduced the show from six episodes per week, to just five 30-minute episodes.
Nearly 75 people will lose their jobs across both Coronation Street and Emmerdale, which is also struggling amid the budget issues.
It seems even the biggest names aren’t immune from the soap’s cash crisis either.
Insiders tell us that the stars have known for a while that changes were coming, but it’s left many feeling disgruntled and concerned about their future on the flailing soap.
A TV source said: “Rumours of a schedule change had been rumbling for a while so it wasn’t a huge surprise to the cast but now the news is out there it is starting to feel very real.
Corrie cash crisis: shock exits for 2025
ITV bosses are locked in a battle to save the cash-strapped soap.
This means that a number of stars have either been axed from or have abandoned the long-running serial drama.
Colson Smith – Craig Tinker
The character of Craig Tinker has been axed by bosses after 14 years. After he was told of the news in Autumn 2024, Colson Smith confirmed that would be written out of the show with scenes to air later this year. Craig’s on-screen mum, Beth Tinker, also left the show in the summer when actress Lisa George was written out from the role.
Sue Cleaver – Eileen Grimshaw
After 25 years playing Eileen Grimshaw, former I’m A Celebrity campmate Sue Cleaver will quit the show. The Sun on Sunday reported in January that she’s already begun to film her exit scenes. However the character will not be killed off in case Sue opts to make a return in the future.
Luca Toolan – Mason Radcliffe
Bosses decided to axe the teenage character after just 16 months after he first joined the show. Recent scenes saw Mason stabbed by his criminal brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.
Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster
In November 2024, we revealed that Debbie Webster is set to be killed off after 40 years on the cobbles. The character will die as part of a heartbreaking long-running dementia storyline.
Charlotte Jordan – Daisy Midgeley
The actress became the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month. We revealed that she will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.
Shelley King – Yasmeen Metcalfe
The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and we revealed in January that she finished filming her final scenes. This follows the departure of her on-screen partner Stu Carpenter.
“Some of the cast have gone into panic mode and are really considering their futures.
“They are thinking of leaving before there axed to save them the embarrassment.”
The cast are said to be increasingly divided in how they are reacting to the news, but no one feels completely safe.
Younger cast members have even started holding set tours on their days off to try and make more cash.
The schedule change announcement comes after a string of Corrie stars — Helen North, Charlotte Jordan, Sue Cleaver, Sue Devaney, Colson Smith, and Luca Toolan — have announced they are leaving or being written out since November 2024.
Actor Seamus McGoff has also seemingly confirmed that he has left the soap, amid the ongoing cast exodus.
And it seems the next character whose scenes will apparently be slashed is Dev Alahan.
Actor Jimmi Harkishin, 59, first joined the cobbles in 1999 playing the bumbling corner shopkeeper.
However, he is set to seemingly depart the soap for the time being after his character will receive some bad news.
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.