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Coronation Street Jailbirds

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Coronation Street Jailbirds THIS WEEK Coronation Street’s Maria Connor is released from prison this week J – and ex-lover Aidan should beware, says actress Samia Longchambon CORONATION STREET AILBIRDS Maria Connor is by no means the first he view from Maria Connor’s window is by him? After all, it was only a couple of weeks almost tear-jerkingly romantic. It’s ago that her cellmate was remarking, a little Weatherfield woman to end up behind bars… Christmas Eve 2016 and, as if on cue, CORONATION ominously, “Men, eh? Can’t live with ’em, can’t plump white snowflakes have begun to STREET, smash ’em in the head with an iron bar…” DEIRDRE RACHID 1998 T Wrongly convicted of fraud after flutter gently to the ground. Could she have MONDAY, ITV “She does love Aidan,” says Samia. “It wished to gaze out on a more festive scene? hasn’t just been a sexual thing. He’s been her being set up by her fiancé, conman Well, yes, she could. For one thing, she knight in shining armour, her hero.” Jon Lindsay. The injustice sparked a could have wished for the window not to have And yes, he was certainly a tower of strength real-life Free The Weatherfield One campaign. Prime Minister Tony Blair thick iron bars across it. when an innocent Maria found herself falsely even raised it in Parliament. Yes, this was the night a frightened, despairing Maria accused of murder, back in November. But when it began a 12-month prison sentence for an illegal came to the day of her sentencing for this crazy HAYLEY CROPPER marriage, joining a long and illustrious line of marriage scam, for which she pleaded guilty, (NÉE PATTERSON) 2001 Coronation Street women who, over the years, have Aidan tarnished his image by failing to show. Jailed on a point of principle found themselves thrown into jail. “No!” she cried, as Since then all he seems to have cared about is after she’d refused to accept the conditions of her bail for the judge had sent her down – cruelly parted from her keeping Eva in the dark about his infidelity. abducting Wayne Hayes, the little boy Liam on the very night Santa was due to call. “I love her,” he’d reminded Maria during a teen she and Roy had been “It certainly wasn’t a happy Christmas for her,” recalls prison visit in January. “But I love you, too. desperate to rescue from abuse. actress Samia Longchambon, who’s been playing the And I don’t know what to do. I’ve never felt Weatherfield hairdresser now for 17 years. “She had like this before. I’m in love with two women, RITA SULLIVAN 2004 known she could be sent to prison, but this was worse and it’s turning my brain upside down.” Held in custody overnight after than she could ever have imagined.” This coming week’s developments may a clash with Cilla Brown. The But there is at least a semi-happy ending. As luck well force the issue because Maria is in an scheming mum of Fiz and Chesney, would have it, Maria’s good behaviour has secured her a unpredictable mood at her welcome home Cilla, had accused Rita of causing remarkably early release, bringing her back to the Street party. Will she let the cat out of the bag? Chesney serious harm after catching this Monday night – albeit with a somewhat unstylish Earlier, Aidan’s dad Johnny goes to meet him shoplifting in the Kabin. tag clamped to her ankle. The only question is, what her at the prison gates and offers to pay for TRACY BARLOW 2007 sort of mental state will we find her in? her and Liam to go on holiday – with Put away for murdering “Prison hasn’t been great for Maria,” Samia tells us. conditions attached… It’s the same offer boyfriend Charlie Stubbs, Tracy “But what it has done is give her time to reflect on her Aidan made when he visited Maria a few handled prison fairly well. She tried to actions and on her behaviour. You will see a very weeks ago. And remember how she get a move to an open prison by falsely different Maria returning to Weatherfield…” reacted back then? She was not testifying against Gail in 2010. She was So, goodness me, should we be worried? “PRISON HAS impressed. “Are you trying to buy my released that year on a technicality. Or more to the point, should her secret GIVEN MARIA silence?” she snapped. “Because I’ve lover – Shayne Ward’s character Aidan, been a good little girl so far, haven’t GAIL MCINTYRE 2010 boyfriend of her sweet and unsuspecting pal TIME TO REFLECT” I, keeping this shut? Yeah, well, Wrongly accused of murdering her Eva (Catherine Tyldesley) – be fearful of his let’s see what happens next…” husband, Joe, who’d drowned in the fate, given that Maria feels horribly let down SAMIA LONGCHAMBON Mike Ward Lake District. Tracy Barlow falsely claimed Gail had owned up to the killing while they were sharing a cell. Gail was eventually found not guilty. FIZ STAPE 2011 Remanded in a mother and baby unit, along with her daughter, Hope, A VERY DIFFERENT for the murders actually committed by her quietly deranged husband John Stape. Fiz was found guilty but was later freed after John confessed. IZZY ARMSTRONG 2016 MARIA RETURNS Sent to prison for two months for assaulting a police officer, Izzy had begun to use cannabis for medical purposes to relieve her chronic pain and felt furious that the law simply PHOTOGRAPHS: NICKY JOHNSTON/ CAMERA PRESS; REX FEATURES; ITV JOHNSTON/ CAMERA PRESS; REX FEATURES; PHOTOGRAPHS: NICKY TO WEATHERFIELD lumped her with other drug users. 12 SATURDAY MAGAZINE.
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