Carla Connor (Alison King)

[swmc66]

This is predictable would have been better to have her keep the baby. There are not many more story lines they can give carla besides another man

[tammyy2j]

It is a shame Carla miscarries as I wanted to see a new maternal side to her

[Ruffed_lemur]

[QUOTE=swmc66;806067]This is predictable would have been better to have her keep the baby. There are not many more story lines they can give carla besides another man[/QUOTE

I really hoped this wasn't true!

I suppose she could have a big storyline with the murder investigation.

[tammyy2j]

There's a big revelation moment for Coronation Street businesswoman Carla Barlow next week as she finally realises that her estranged husband Peter didn't kill Tina McIntyre.

The story twist takes place after jailed Peter (Chris Gascoyne) is rushed to hospital following another booze binge and Carla decides to pay him a visit.

Here, Alison King - who plays Carla - explains why some surprising words from Peter change her character's entire perspective on the murder case

How would you say Carla is coping with Peter's imprisonment?
"Carla has been trying so desperately to move on with her life, but obviously she's really struggling to forget about it all when everything is so up in the air. She's still reeling from what Peter did and now that he's in prison, she's having to get her head round the fact that Peter supposedly killed Tina too.

"In a way she's finding it easier with Peter not being there and lingering around her on the Street, but at the same time I think she has a huge sadness that all of this has happened and that Peter is in prison for a girl's murder."

Would you say Carla has washed her hands of him?
"I think she's finding it easier to pretend he doesn't exist with him now in prison and not pestering her on the Street, but at the same time, it's Peter. She hates him with a passion for what he has done to her and blames him entirely for losing the baby and she'll never get over that. She's all over the place."

How does Carla react when she hears that Peter is critically ill following an alcohol binge?
"It really throws her. She's completely taken aback when Beth tells her that Peter's in hospital - it's a bolt out of the blue. I think Carla has been concentrating so much on the factory and putting Peter out of her mind that this news brings her crashing down. Carla confides in Rob and tells him that she can't help but be concerned for Peter - it's almost a knee-jerk reaction when she hears he's in trouble."

Ken begs Carla to visit Peter to lift his spirits, but Rob is determined that she shouldn't. Does Carla feel torn?
"When Carla first tells Rob that she's really concerned for Peter, he tells her to get away and go on holiday and says he will mind the factory so she can go abroad for a bit. Carla is tempted by this but as soon as Ken begs her to visit him, she's swayed the other way.

"I think Carla knows that emotionally it will be the worst thing for her to go and see Peter, but she also knows that she would never forgive herself if anything happened to him and she hadn't been to visit."

Does Rob's argument that she shouldn't go make any sense to Carla?
"Yes, absolutely. She knows he's right when he says that the best way to really move on is to cut herself off from Peter completely. At this point, she has no reason to believe that Rob has any other reason to put her off other than the fact that he hates Peter and is looking out for his sister.

"I think the turning point for Carla is when she hears that Peter is in intensive care and might not make it through. I think then she knows what she has to do."

Is Carla shocked when she sees Peter?
"Yes. Carla's seen Peter at rock bottom before and has had to help him pick up the pieces, but this is something different. Peter is really at his lowest ebb and she realises how serious they were when they said that he might not survive. It brings her back to square one again, really."



Peter tells Carla that he knows she killed Tina and is willing to take the rap for it. How does she react?
"She's completely taken aback. First and foremost I think she's gobsmacked that Peter actually thinks she could have killed Tina. When she is finally able to process what he is saying, she starts to realise that if he genuinely thinks that she killed Tina, then he obviously didn't do it."

So at this point is Carla convinced that Peter isn't the killer?
"Peter thinks he's going to die, so Carla sees no reason why he'd start playing mind games with her about the murder. He has nothing to lose because he's telling her that he will take the blame for it - for her. It's actually a moment of clarity for Carla as she actually realises Peter isn't guilty at all."

Does Carla tell anyone about Peter's confession?
"Yes. She can't keep it to herself because she's incredibly troubled by it and she can't rest. She confides in Michelle first, and Michelle agrees that if Peter is this convinced that Carla killed Tina, then it means he can't have done. Once they both say it out loud, they become really troubled by it because they both realise that this means Tina's murderer is still roaming free. She also confides in Rob as well."

How does Rob react?
"Rob is automatically defensive and tells her to forget what Peter said. He tries to persuade Carla to ignore him and says Peter is just playing his usual mind games and making her feel like she has done something wrong, so that she will believe him when he says he's innocent."



Despite that, Carla considers telling the police what Peter said… Is Rob worried?
"Rob tries to tell Carla that Peter's probably had all sorts of medication in hospital so won't have been talking sense. I think at this point Carla just thinks Rob is doing what he can to keep her away from Peter and to ignore everything he's saying to her.

"But at the same time, Carla does question why Rob can't understand why she thinks she needs to do the right thing by helping find Tina's real killer and have an innocent man released - even if that man is Peter..."

[Perdita]

Coronation Street star Alison King has admitted that her character Carla Barlow will never be able to fully forgive her husband Peter for being unfaithful.

Peter (Chris Gascoyne) cheated on Carla by having a long-running affair with Tina McIntyre, which started on his wedding night in December last year. The fling ultimately had terrible consequences as Peter later found himself being framed for the barmaid's murder.

Corrie bosses have confirmed that the truth will come out over the next few weeks as Carla discovers that her brother Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis) was the real culprit and reports him to the police. This paves the way for Peter's release from jail, but Carla still has no desire to get back with him.

Speaking at a Coronation Street press event this week, King commented: "Somewhere underneath I think Carla will always love Peter. He was the person that saw Carla for who she was and accepted her.

"On the other hand, Carla is nobody's fool and you can't get over something like that. This was her one chance to have a baby and you don't cross her like that, otherwise you don't get a second chance. He did get plenty of chances - but not that much!"

Show chiefs are keeping tight-lipped about whether Rob gets his chance to tie the knot with his partner Tracy Barlow before the truth is revealed, but whatever happens, he will be livid with Carla for betraying him.

Rob waits for Tracy to arrive at the wedding
© ITV
Rob waits for Tracy to arrive at the wedding

King continued: "Carla goes a bit numb for a while, but she has to do what she has to do, in order for it to be right. Peter is somebody's baby - he's Ken's baby and she needs to do the right thing by that family and Simon, who she's very fond of. I think she does the right thing. I think she'll struggle, but as usual with Carla, she'll bury her head into Underworld and it actually starts going really well for her.

"The good thing that Carla has also got is Michelle. Her support and crutch is her sister-in-law. She's got people around that love her and I think she gets on with it and survives because she knows she's done the right thing, but she's also grieving because she knows Rob will never forgive her.

"Also, you can't forget that this all came about because of the loss of Peter, her baby and Tina. There's not many happy avenues for Carla to explore right now."

Carla is in turmoil over Rob's guilt
© ITV
Rob and Carla at the wedding

King added that she hasn't heard of any future relationships for Carla following Peter's departure, admitting that she needs a "break" from men for a while.

Asked about her own long-term future on the cobbles, she replied: "I'm happy so long as I'm happy and I'm getting good storylines."

[Perdita]

Coronation Street's Carla Barlow faces another challenging time next week as her estranged husband Peter is released from prison.

Carla is keen to move on after her emotional year, but Peter (Chris Gascoyne) won't make it easy for her when he begs for another chance to make their marriage work.

Here, Alison King - who plays Carla - reveals how her character reacts to Peter's return to the cobbles.

How does Carla cope in the aftermath of Rob's departure?
"Carla just feels numb. She's absolutely heartbroken that she's had to do this to her brother and all the time she's thinking, 'Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut? All I had to do was nothing'. She didn't have to call the police and that eats her up, but I think it would have been on her mind constantly and I don't think she'd have been able to live with it.

"Carla has a lovely relationship with Ken, but when he starts rejoicing about the fact that Peter is coming home then she really struggles. She doesn't need to hear that - she didn't do it for Peter, and Ken's celebration isn't necessarily hers. She's left with nothing - no brother, no husband, no baby. She's got even less now in the world because she did this, so although she did the right thing she feels very numb about it all."

Is Carla nervous about seeing Peter again?
"She's not looking forward to Peter coming out. She can deal with the fact that he's coming out because she made that choice, but she doesn't want to see him or talk to him."

What are Carla's feelings when she sees Peter in The Rovers once he's been freed?
"He comes into The Rovers and he begs to talk to her, but she's steely with him and I don't think he really gets why. She doesn't want to listen as nothing he's got to say is going to make any difference, but he insists on taking her into the back room and doing this massive speech.

"Peter seems to think they can pick up where they left off, but she tells him that she didn't do this for him, she did it because it was the right thing to do."

Ken starts to plan Peter's homecoming
© ITV
Peter returns

Does Carla still love Peter?
"He thinks that she still loves him, and I think somewhere deep down she always will love him, but he took that out of her hands. She's somehow managed to scrape herself off the floor and she's never, ever going to let those barriers down with him again - she just can't because he's the only person who can hurt her like that.

"Carla lost everything and she tells him that. He's been in a cell conjuring up all these fantasies about them getting back together because she still loves him, but she didn't do it for him."

How does Carla react when Peter pleads with her to take him back?
"While she's glad he's okay and she'll always care for him, there's no way she'll let him hurt her again, as she just can't go back. He's her Achilles heel and she can't take him back."

Peter begs Carla to take him back
© ITV
Peter begs Carla to take him back

Who can Carla rely on for support at this time?
"Carla finds strength from her friends lile Roy and Michelle, and putting everything again into Underworld. When she needs something to hold onto with her fingernails it's her work. She throws everything into her business and as a result it's doing really well. She puts everything into it, and her confidence and her armour all build up around that. She starts to feel strong again."

Is Carla relieved when Peter discusses leaving Weatherfield?
"I think she does blame him for everything. She's had enough of his excuses and she knows he won't leave her alone if he stays. She also knows how vulnerable she is and it would be easier for her if he was away and would leave her alone. It's one thing telling him to leave her alone but while he's there and he's pushing all her buttons until she breaks, then she's still vulnerable. So for a while they have to be apart."

Does Carla still feel responsible for Simon at all?
"Yes, Carla's love for Simon has grown and she does feel a responsibility for him to be happy. She was the person who was responsible for the break-up of his dad and Leanne, but she still managed to grow very fond of Simon. It took a long time for him to gain her trust and her to gain his, but they did have a bond in the end.

"She does feel really guilty but there's a lovely scene between Carla, Peter and Simon where she tells him that she'll always be there for him and she'll look out for him. Peter knows she'll always be there to look out for Simon if he goes away."

Peter says his goodbyes
© ITV
Peter says his goodbyes

Peter tells Simon he is moving away
© ITV
Peter tells Simon he is moving away

Will Carla concentrate on her business rather than looking for another man?
"Yes, she's throwing herself into her work and she'll focus on that. She's not on the lookout for a man whatsoever."

Are you looking forward to some downtime after such big storylines? And will you miss Marc Baylis and Chris Gascoyne?
"Yes I am looking forward to a bit of down time after Christmas. Will I miss Marc and Chris? Well that's just a ridiculous question! (Laughs.) I'm all on my own, my two boys that hug me a lot have gone, but I've still got Kym Marsh so I'll be alright, she gives me cuddles. I'll miss Marc and Chris like mad, I already am."

Corrie's producer Stuart Blackburn has hinted that Peter and Carla will always love each other. Would you like to see more chapters to their story?
"Yes definitely, I think part of Carla will always love Peter and there are still more stories to be told. I'd love to see Chris back at some point in the future."

Are you enjoying doing more scenes with David Neilson, who plays Roy?
"Yes, I love doing scenes with David. He's an absolute joy to work with and also has a great sense of humour. I love the relationship between Carla and Roy and as we head to Christmas you'll see more of that connection between them."

[swmc66]

Connor was not Carla's Maidan name so a bit strange she is reverting to that and removing Barlow. If Cheryl Fernandez Versini split up would she go back to being Cheryl Cole? I don't think so.

[lizann]

Connor was not Carla's Maidan name so a bit strange she is reverting to that and removing Barlow. If Cheryl Fernandez Versini split up would she go back to being Cheryl Cole? I don't think so.

carla connor was her widow name (she wasn't married to tony or frank i think)

carla donovan is that her own name like rob

[lizann]

Connor was not Carla's Maidan name so a bit strange she is reverting to that and removing Barlow. If Cheryl Fernandez Versini split up would she go back to being Cheryl Cole? I don't think so.

carla connor was her widow name (she wasn't married to tony or frank i think)

carla donovan is that her own name like rob

[Perdita]

She was Donovan, married Paul Connor and Tony Gordon and Peter Barlow