It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a happy Christmas for Coronation Street’s Robert Preston and Michelle Connor.
Troubles will continue for the restaurateur, played by Tristan Gemmill, as he’ll find himself in hospital having only just been released from prison.
But the car accident that put him there will be the least of his worries when tests will reveal he has testicular cancer.
The shock news will push his relationship with Kym Marsh’s Michelle to breaking point.
Speaking about the upcoming plot, Tristan told The Mirror Robert’s dire diagnosis will “cause a fair bit of tension between them” because of how he handles it.
He said: “She gets very frustrated. More than once he says he’s going to deal with it and she finds out that he’s not been completely telling her the truth. And being honest with each other is a huge thing with the two of them because of what happened with Steve for Michelle.”
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He added: “She’s prepared to forgive this and that. But she says, ‘Do not lie to me, we cannot have our relationship based on lies’.”
The cancer blow will cause Robert to revert to past bad habits as he’ll be tempted to return to gambling.
“It’s always been his way of dealing with things,” Tristan said of his character. “We’ve seen him in the casino a couple of times in the last few years that led him and Carla to have that fling. To him it’s an escape, it’s somewhere where you can roll a dice or take a hand of cards, it’s purely about living in that moment.”
Tristan said Michelle will be angry when she discovers Robert has been blowing money in the casino as they have been struggling to get by financially.
Robert’s “white lie” is to tell her he’s only lost £100.
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“£100 she doesn’t really get too upset about. But the question is, is he telling her the truth?” Tristan teased.
We can’t wait to find out!