Coronation Street confirms devastating crisis for Debbie and Ronnie

Coronation Street's Debbie Webster chats up another man next week after she and Ronnie Bailey experience problems in their sex life. With the situation at home so difficult, could Debbie be about to make a huge mistake and cheat on her husband?

"Ronnie is not entirely sure if he's up to the challenge of being Debbie's carer," begins Vinta Morgan, who plays him.

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"But he feels he has no other option because when he gives his loyalty, he means it to the end.

"Realising how mountainous this task is and that he may not be equipped to do it all frightens him, but he doesn't want to show that to Debbie, as he wants to be this knight in shining armour for her."

The week begins with Ronnie and Debbie experiencing problems in their sex life, as Ronnie turns down Debbie's attempts to take things into the bedroom.

Confiding in his brother Ed, Ronnie shares his fears about how Debbie's dementia could affect their sex life.

Later at the hotel, Debbie meets Stan, the fiancé of her bridal client Denise. As a forlorn Deb declares that her husband doesn't fancy her anymore, she offers Stan some red wine – only for Ronnie to arrive and find his wife flirting with another man.

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"Ronnie's really aware of the idea of consent and of Debbie's memory displacement," explains Vinta. "She could be in a situation that seems normal, then suddenly she says something that's different to what the situation is.

"Ronnie's just very scared. Their relationship is built on an enormous passion for each other, but he never wants to put her in any position where she may be taken advantage of."

Those aren't the only troubles in Debbie's life, either, as she's horrified to realise that she's booked the wrong month for bride Denise's wedding, forcing Ryan Connor to step in.

Debbie mucks things up further when Denise catches her arguing with ex-con Paula in the hallway and demands her deposit back.

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"One of the things that makes Debbie who she is, is the identity she has when she's at work," explains Vinta. "For her not to be able to experience that, Ronnie thinks will make her decline much faster.

"So, there's this balance of trying to keep her in there doing what she's doing, while trying to navigate the choppy waters that occur when she might go off on a tangent because of the dementia. Unfortunately, those incidents are becoming more frequent."

Will Debbie and Ronnie be able to find their way back and make the most of their time together before her dementia worsens even further?

Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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