Coronation Street continues Maggie Driscoll’s emotional week tonight as she starts to fear that her son Ben could have a genetic condition. As Maggie quizzes Steve McDonald about his late dad Jim’s health troubles, she doesn’t like what she hears.
The ITV soap has just revealed that Ben and Steve could be secret half-brothers, as Maggie had an affair with Jim many years ago. Maggie was confronted by one of Jim’s army pals on the day of his funeral – and was startled to realise that he recognised her from the past.
In tonight’s episode, Maggie privately frets about Ben’s recent heart troubles – especially when he misses an important appointment at the hospital.
Maggie’s emotions reach boiling point when she takes her frustrations out on George Shuttleworth, unfairly branding him a fraudster amid the allegations circulating about him. Ben’s partner Eva Price is mortified and warns Maggie not to take her problems out on the Rovers punters.
Later, Maggie makes an excuse to call into the cab office and questions Steve about myotonic dystrophy – the genetic condition that Jim was diagnosed with in 2016.
Myotonic dystrophy causes progressive muscle weakening and wasting – and can lead to heart problems. There is no cure, but its effects are varied and many people who have the condition have a normal life expectancy.
As Maggie learns more about the condition tonight – including how it’s passed on from parents – she starts to put two and two together after Ben’s recent health concerns.
Discussing his relief when he tested negative a few years ago, Steve tells Maggie: “If I had it, then Amy might have had it, or Emma. Or Oliver even.
“You can get heart failure, arrhythmia, palpitations – you know, I’m no doctor…”
Although Maggie covers her concerns, she’s clearly horrified.
Ben was rushed to hospital earlier this year after experiencing heart pain amid tensions at home. Could this all be connected?
