Coronation Street’s Lou Michaelis does a runner from Weatherfield next week following a violent altercation with her evil husband Mick.

Scared for her safety, Lou leaves her kids and disappears – but has she gone for good?

The scales finally fall from Lou’s eyes after Mick lashes out, following the revelation that she once cheated on him with Kit Green – who could be Brody’s real father.

Horrified by Mick’s outburst, Lou tells daughters Shanice and Joanie that mummy is taking them away for a few days.

Hurrying into a cab to make a secret escape from her horrid husband, Lou is questioned by Tim over the very visible cut on her head, and he insists on taking her to A&E.

Despite her objections, Lou gets checked out at the hospital. She’s examined by a perceptive nurse, who figures out how she got her injuries and deduces that she’s in an abusive relationship.

Even though she’s urged to open up, loyal Lou can’t face speaking about the abuse and rejects the kind nurse’s offer of help.

Instead, stressed Lou makes a spur of the moment decision and does a runner, leaving Shanice and Joanie with bemused Tim and Sally.

The police are soon on the case as they search for missing Lou, but there’s no sign.

Where has she gone, and will her kids ever see their mother again?

Farrel Hegarty, who plays Lou, recently told us: “Sometimes in relationships like that, it can be quite worrying that you do get taken over by a level of love for someone, rather than what’s actually good for yourself.

“It’s definitely an important issue to think about. For a lot of people, we can look at relationships on the outskirts and go: ‘Why is that happening? Should they be together? Is that healthy? Is that not toxic?’

“But actually when you’re in it, it’s a different thing. It’s not that easy for people in relationships that are unhealthy and at times unsafe.”