Not content with taking advantage of Debbie’s dementia to get his grubby mits on her business accounts, he tore the Webster family apart by embarking on a passionate affair with the wife of his brother Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell), Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine), who he did the dirty on with James Bailey (Jason Callender) not long after.
But the cherry on top of Carl’s evil sundae was getting wasted enough to cause the Corriedale crash which killed Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) and sliding an unconscious Debbie behind the wheel to take the blame.
Feeling responsible for Carl, Debbie bravely took the rap and pled guilty to dangerous driving and manslaughter, earning her a lengthy prison sentence. This forced her to say goodbye her good(ish) brother Kevin, her friends, and her doting husband, Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan). How much punishment can one girl take?
Not enough apparently. There was one last surprise in store for Debbie when she was assigned a prison support buddy to offer her additional support for her dementia, and it turned out to be a familiar face for diehard Corrie Fans – Lou Michaelis (Farrel Heggarty).
First seen on the Cobbles in February 2025, Lou and her husband Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton) were billed by Coronation Street bosses as ‘nightmare neighbours’ and boy, they weren’t kidding. Not only was Mick neck-deep in crime and responsible for the murder of beloved Cobbles copper Craig Tinker (Colson Smith), but Lou’s no angel herself.
Her most infamous moment on the Street was attempting to seduce and blackmail Gary Windass (Mikey North), and when he rejected her, she struck him over the head with a blunt object, leaving him in a coma.
This earned her a one-way ticket to prison, leaving her kids in the care of Tim (Joe Duttine) and Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor).
Of all the people to be there for Debbie in her hour of need, Lou seems like a strange choice. But maybe someone convicted of violent assault is exactly the kind of person you need onside in jail – especially if you’ve got enemies like Paula.
While Debbie may not remember Paula, Paula unfortunately remembers Debbie. She barred her from the Chariot Street Hotel, and their reunion was not a happy one.
When Paula barged into Debbie’s cell lamenting that her boyfriend has dumped her and he’s doing time for burglary, Deb made the fatal mistake of saying she’s better off without him. Taking offence, Paula turned nasty, prompting Lou to step in. The next time Ronnie and Kevin visited Debbie, they were shocked to see her sporting a black eye.
Now Paula’s set to strike again in upcoming scenes that push poor Debbie to the brink, causing a shocking decline in her condition.
In the prison, Debbie helps Lou make some bracelets for her kids. When Paula tries to steal one of the bracelets, Lou stands up to her. But Debbie’s left shaken.
When Debbie enters Lou’s cell, she’s shocked to see her new prison pal has taken a beating from Paula.
Later, while visiting Debbie, Carl pulls on her heart strings until she agrees to give him some cash to tide him over.
Overhearing their exchange, Sally warns Debbie that Carl’s taking her for a ride. Debbie leaps to Carl’s defence but deep down she knows Sally’s right. In her cell, Debbie frets over her dysfunctional relationship with Carl. Suddenly, it all becomes too much and the stress is overwhelming.
Prison life is clearly taking its toll on Debbie. Will she survive to see freedom?
