Coronation Street fans have said they’ll ‘unplug their telly’ if their prediction about Sam Blakeman’s new involvement in the Institute is proved right. Viewers of the ITV soap know that Sam’s stepmum Leanne Battersby has found herself taken in by group mentor Rown Cunliffe.

Rowan first appeared back in March when Leanne accompanied Simon Barlow to one of his seminars at the Chariot Square Hotel. Leanne was taken aback when she was approached by Rowan, who then offered her some unsolicited advice as she dealt with Simon’s drink-driving and her partner Nick Tilsley’s reaction at the time.

Since then, Corrie fans have watched as Leanne has become further involved in The Institue and it was recently revealed the group was providing her with technology that allows her to ‘talk’ to an AI version of her late son, Oliver, who tragically died in 2020.

During Tuesday night’s (June 18) first visit to Weatherfield this week, it was the day of Rose’s funeral, the daughter of Toyah Battersby who was born stillborn in 2001. In April, Toyah revealed to Nick that the father of her baby girl was her rapist, Phil Simmonds, and that she had kept the pregnancy and premature birth hidden.

She had buried her daughter in a park which has since been dug up in the search for missing teenager Lauren Bolton. The police later discovered the remains were that of Toyah’s baby girl as she was questioned over what happened more than 20 years ago.

But in emotional scenes, Toyah was able to hold a funeral for Rose, only for it to be ruined by the discovery that Leanne hadn’t paid for it with her savings after all, and that it was Rowan who stumped up the cash in another attempt to silence Toyah after she refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to stop talking badly about the Institute.

When Toyah later refused to back down, she was shocked to discover that she and Nick had been caught kissing by one of Rowan’s pals, which he later sent to her as another form of blackmail.

But amidst the twists and turns involving Rowan, Toyah and the Institute, Corrie fans were distracted when Leanne was seen helping her stepson Sam with something, which neither Sam or Leanne would tell Nick what it actually was.

In the scene, Sam was seen walking into the flat and asked where Leanne was, with Nick explaining she was out. Sam seemed keen to speak with her about something and concerned, Nick asked his son what was going on. He said that Leanne was going to help him with something but when Nick pressed to know what, the youngster said it “didn’t matter”.