Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver tells Soaplife how Eileen’s passion play might have killed Michael!
Eileen’s used to heartbreak - but one stage-managed by her own son, Todd (Bruno Langley), is a new low for her. “Her real internet boyfriend, Adrian, takes off in disgust when Todd reveals that Eileen has been in contact with another man, Jeff, on the web,” says Sue. “But then the penny drops that Jeff has been invented by Todd…”
And Eileen finds herself seeking comfort from her new lodger, Michael. What with her, Michael and Jason (Ryan Thomas) all under the same roof, the house is like Heartbreak Hotel…
How come Eileen and Michael (Les Dennis) get up close and personal?
“It happens after Gail [Helen Worth] has barged her way into Eileen’s, insisting on waiting for Michael, who’s been to see his ex-wife, Susan. Michael’s furious to find Gail there when he returns and immediately goes to the pub. He gets very drunk and Eileen ends up helping him back to hers. They’re trying to cheer each other up when Michael leans in for a kiss.”
And?
“Eileen responds! They end up snogging on the sofa.”
And Michael gets over-excited…
“He starts struggling for breath and then he collapses on the floor! Eileen starts panicking and then there’s a knock on the door. It’s Gail - she may be Eileen’s nemesis, but Eileen’s kind of relieved to see her. Obviously she doesn’t tell Gail why Michael collapsed.”
What happens next?
“They call an ambulance and Michael’s taken to hospital. He comes round, sees Gail and orders her to leave, which really upsets her. The doctors want to know what Michael was doing before his collapse and Eileen explains that they were getting a bit frisky. There’s a very tricky moment when she realises that Gail may have overheard her, but it turns out she hasn’t.”
Bet Gail finds out at some point, though?
“Well, Eileen won’t tell her! Gail will be furious if she does find out and it will get very, very nasty. They’ve got physical before, remember!”
Is there a future for Eileen and Michael if and when he recovers?
“He’s not really her type. To be honest, after what happened with Adrian [Mark Moraghan] and ‘Jeff’, I think she’ll be off men for a while.”
Will she ever find happiness?
“I hope not. She far more interesting to play when she’s unhappy.”
Coronation Street, ITV.
