There were recently heartbreaking scenes in the ITV soap as Paul died

Coronation Street star Harriet Bibby has confirmed that viewers can expect ‘explosive’ scenes ahead as Paul Foreman’s death rattles his family.

There were recently heartbreaking scenes in the ITV soap as Paul, played by Peter Ash, died 17 months after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in April 2023.

It was in Monday night’s Corrie (September 9) that Paul died after months of his health detoriating in front of his and his loved ones’ eyes following the diagnosis of the life-limiting illness, for which there is currently no cure.

In the episode, Paul’s health took a sudden turn for the worse and he was rushed to hospital as he struggled to breathe. Later, after doctors informed his family there was nothing more they could do but make him comfortable, Paul took his last breath.

But in a heartbreaking twist, Billy was unable to say goodbye after a series of events, that started with him looking for his lost phone, delayed his efforts to get there. However, he did think he got to tell Paul how he felt over the phone but in reality, Paul had already tragically passed.

Summer Spellman, Bernie Winter and Gemma Winter-Brown are now keeping the secret as they prepare to say goodbye to Paul. However, there won’t be easy time ahead for the family.

Speaking about Summer’s involvement in the weeks and months ahead, Harriet said: “Summer is quite a mature young woman anyway. She often has taken on a more parental role with all three of her dads a lot of the time. That definitely does come out again following Paul’s death.

“It’s something we spoke about when we were filming, you don’t really speak about it in real life but we spoke about [the] hierarchy of grief. It’s unspoken, but a lot of the time you might think: ‘I can’t let this boil over just right because Billy’s there and he needs me’ and will take on the role of caring because he needs that right now.

“Then when Summer’s with someone else she might be able to let herself boil over a bit more, We see that unfold with every character that’s affected by Paul’s death.”

She continued: “We see Summer and Asha’s friendship link back together again. She is someone Summer feels she can confide in. There’s a lot of explosive stuff happening in our family after Paul’s passing and I think having that person that’s just out of the loop a little bit helps Summer.”

On the lie itself, Harriet added: “I think Summer feels quite conflicted about Bernie’s lie. Bernie did that for the right reasons. She wanted to give Billy the goodbye that he wasn’t going to get, which is why in the moment, Gemma and Summer didn’t say anything. They thought ‘okay, let him say goodbye’.

“Afterwards we’ll see everyone feel guilty and conflicted over whether it was the right decision. They’re feeling a million different emotions at once. You’re grieving yourself, you’re worried about the people around you, and then you’ve got that guilty conscience while wondering whether it was the right decision or not.”