Baby Bombshell! Is This Coro's Longest-Kept Secret?

Angela’s surprise return towWhere it all started

- Judy Kean

It was the plot twist nobody saw coming − Coronation Street’s Emma Brooker turned out to be Steve McDonald’s secret daughter, born to his ex Fiona Middleton.

While viewers reeled from the bombshell, it came as no surprise to actress Angela Griffin, who played hairdresser Fiona from 1992 to 1998.

In fact, in numerous interviews over the years, when asked about her role in the soap, Angela has mentioned the possibility that Fiona could have been pregnant with Steve’s baby.

Back in 2014 she said, “My idea for a return storyline – if I were to go back – was that I’d have been pregnant by Steve when I left. And I could then return with the child.”

Angela’s idea may have provided some inspiration for the show’s scriptwriters, but it didn’t quite pan out like that.

Emma, played by Alexandra Mardell (26), has been in the show since April last year when she started working as a hairdresser for Audrey Roberts, and was initially a love interest for David Platt, before becoming involved with Chesney Brown for a short time.

Emma’s family were hardly mentioned until a couple of weeks ago, when her dad died of cancer. It was then revealed that he wasn’t her biological father, and that her mum was Fiona, who was now living in Australia.