Coronation Street‘s Cait Fitton has spoken about the show’s upcoming Rovers Return shake-up for the first time.

The star, who plays barmaid Lauren Bolton on the ITV soap, expressed her delight over the news that Catherine Tyldesley has reprised her role as Eva Price.

Earlier this month, producers announced that Eva will be coming back to take over The Rovers now that Jenny Connor has stood down as landlady.

Eva won’t be returning alone, as she’ll be central to an exciting new family – which includes her partner Ben Driscoll and his mum Maggie, played by Aaron McCusker and Pauline McLynn respectively.

Speaking exclusively to us at a photoshoot for the Inside Soap Awards 2025, Cait enthused: “I’m so super excited to be working with Cath! I’ve been a massive fan of her since being a little girl.

“Eva was one of my favourite characters growing up, so there’s a lot of pressure there. I’ve heard great things about [Cath] – she seems absolutely lovely and she’s so mega talented.

“And I’m really excited to see what the dynamic’s going to be between Lauren and Eva.”

It’s currently a time of change for Lauren, as she recently discovered that her short-lived boyfriend Aadi Alahan was responsible for her accidental spiking at a house party.

Lauren has been determined to make Aadi pay since the revelation, although tonight’s episode sees her acknowledge his genuine apologies for the first time.

“I do think Lauren can trust someone again, after finding out that Aadi was behind what happened,” Cait continued.

“If Aadi had come forward sooner and been more honest about how he was feeling and what he’d done, I think Lauren would have still been a bit angry but I think she would have got over it, essentially.

“I think it’s going to hit her more because she looked at Aadi as a friend, someone she could rely on and someone – yet again – has obviously broken her trust.

“So I do think it’s going to be another hurdle for Lauren, but hopefully she will come out the other side.”

Cait took part in the Inside Soap Awards photoshoot as she’s up for the Best Actress prize this year.

Responding to the nod, she told us: “It’s like a dream come true. Being in this category is like a win in itself, but to be against people that I’ve watched from being a tiny little girl, obsessed with all the soaps, it’s more than I could ever have dreamed of.

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“Of course, I’m up against the beautiful Vicky [Myers, who plays Lisa Swain] and the lovely Sue Devaney [who plays Debbie Webster]. They’re both iconic characters and both people that I really look up to and they really inspire me. I don’t think it’s really sunk in, but I’m happy!”

Asked why fans should get behind Corrie in the Best Soap category this year, she replied: “I think Coronation Street do a spectacular job behind the scenes. Every single department works really hard, and we do drama at its best, so why not vote for Corrie?”