Coronation Street fans are about to have their emotions tested to the limit as Rita Sullivan's health deteriorate in upcoming episodes of the soap.
The much-loved character, played by Barbara Knox, has shown several worrying signs that she is not well in recent times. Gemma Winter fears Rita has dementia due to her memory lapses, including thinking her late husband was still alive.
Coronation Street actress Sally Ann Matthews has now said that her character Jenny Bradley will be forced to halt her wedding plans to rush to Rita's side in hospital.
Soap fans have been speculating that this could be the end of the road for the long-running character as Rita has become more ill over recent episodes.
While she refused to say whether Rita will pass away, Matthews hinted that an episode over the coming week will see "Twitter go crazy" and advised viewers to get ready with "Kleenex and wine".
Matthews also praised 83-year-old actress Knox, saying: "Barbara is a fantastic actress and a consummate professional.
"The emotional scenes are very easy to play with Barbara, they are going to be tugging at the heartstrings."
"It's a storyline that Barbara is so deserving of, it has been so well thought out and she has been very involved in the way it's going to play out.
"As it was with Bill (Ken Barlow star William Roache)... to have two actors who have been in the show forever, who are in their mid-eighties, to be carrying ITV's flagship show is exceptional, and they both do a sterling job."
She added of Jenny's reaction to Rita's health scare: "It's a huge spanner in the works when she finds out Rita is unwell... it's a big wake-up call for Jenny (about her) priorities, and it's quite interesting the direction that she goes in."
