CORONATION Street legend Norris Cole will make a dramatic return to the cobbles tonight but he arrives with some shocking news for Mary Taylor.
In the first of this evening’s double helping of Corrie, fans will see Mary frantically worrying as she still hasn’t heard any word from Norris – who is technically her husband.
Poor Mary is then left feeling rattled when Tracy Barlow suggests that Freda Burgess may have actually killed Norris.
Horrified at the thought, Mary dashes off to the house where she spots Freda with the urn.
Fearing the worst, a hysterical Mary runs out into the street, with Freda following her.
But Mary’s fears that Freda is a murderer are brushed aside when a cab pulls up and she comes face-to-face with Norris himself – who, it turns out, is very much alive and well.
Although she’s beyond relieved at first, Mary’s smile doesn’t last long when Norris drops his bombshell – he and Freda are actually engaged and he wants a divorce so that they can be together.
But Mary is very suspicious of Freda’s motives – especially after she spots her sporting a diamond bracelet that looks like it cost a few quid.
In dramatic scenes that will air this week, Mary will accuse Freda of being a gold digger before telling Norris that she won’t grant him a divorce.
Corrie fans, however, will be delighted to see Norris back on the cobbles. The character hasn’t been on screen since 2016 after actor Malcolm Hebden suffered a heart attack and was forced to take a significant amount of time off work.
But it was revealed back in November that Malcolm would be reprising his role as the Street’s resident busy body this year.
A source told the Sunday Mirror: “I was so pleasantly surprised to see him. It has been a long battle back to fitness but he looks better than I could have imagined.
“He looks really well, it is going to be great to have him back. The show has missed him. We’ve missed him.”
Malcolm, 78, previously spoke out about the attack, which almost killed him.
He said: “Fortunately I didn’t realise how bad it was. I was dying.
“The cardiac team simply saved my life.
“I was informed by my doctor I had had at least one heart attack.
“The heart attack tore a hole in my heart, they operated and took a chance.”
Norris was written out of the ITV soap and the character headed off to Peru to stay with his old friend Emily Bishop and her niece, Freda.
Coronation Street is on ITV Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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