Fans have been left both shocked and delighted to learn that actor Marc Baylis will be reprising his role in the ITV soap

Coronation Street has confirmed details about how long Rob Donovan will be back for after the actor who plays him responded to news of his return.

Fans have been left both shocked and delighted to learn that actor Marc Baylis will be reprising his role in the ITV soap. He was last seen on the show back in 2017 as Rob, the younger brother of Carla Connor and former fiancé of Tracy Barlow, from behind bars following the 2014 murder of Tina McIntyre.

But it’s been revealed that Carla’s nephew Bobby Crawford will bring his dad back into his and Carla’s lives in upcoming scenes as she becomes seriously ill.

As the new year gets underway, Roy Cropper is concerned about Carla as she starts hearing things and looking confused. He suggests she goes home and get some rest but, increasingly worried about her, he lets himself into her flat and finds her barely conscious on the living room floor and calls an ambulance.

In the hospital, the doctor tells Roy that he suspects Carla may be suffering from sepsis. Later, the doctor breaks the news to a shocked Carla that the sepsis has damaged her kidney and she may need another transplant. But later, Carla is devastated to hear that the damage to her kidney is severe and she’ll need a transplant.

Ryan Connor and Bobby reel at the news. Ryan soon tells Carla that if he’s a match, he’d like to donate a kidney, but she won’t hear of it and wonders where Bobby has got to. Soon, Bobby is seen climbing out of a cab and heading in through the gates of Highfield Prison. His dad, Rob Donovan, approaches Bobby in the prison visiting room. He is stunned to hear that Bobby has come to persuade him to donate a kidney to Carla.

After it was teased that some things that are going to cause problems for Carla and her blossoming relationship with DS Lisa Swain, and one very big one in particular, Corrie producer Kate Brooks revealed to us: “There is a big one… A big Rob Donovan return!”

She continued: “We last left Rob languishing in prison. He made mistakes. He comes back to the show and we think he might be a reformed character who has seen the error of his ways. But whether that’s the case or not, I don’t know! He definitely comes back and causes a lot of trouble for Carla and Lisa. Just when Carla and Lisa think it’s safe to sit down and watch Netflix, Rob comes along and scuppers all of that. So, it’s a big story for them and a big story for Rob.

“Lots of twists and turns. It’s a big story for Betsy [Swain] as well, who is fabulous and will be right at the centre of that.” Kate then confirmed whether Rob is back ‘long-term’: “It’s not just a couple of episodes – it’s a good chunk. He killed Tina…

“It’s really exciting, and what I like about this story in particular is that Carla and Lisa are finally together and united, everyone knows about them and they’re moving on with their lives, and then this drops on them, and they’re like, ‘How did that happen?’ ‘Are we not meant to be relaxing and enjoying being with each other?’ So, it’s a real test for their relationship in the early stages, but a good test.”

A video was also shared of Marc back on Corrie’s famous set in which he popped out from the Rovers Return and said with a smile to the camera: “Rob is back!” He resahred the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said: “Here we go again…..”