Inside Soap UK 7 - 2017

“This year, Inside Soap reaches 25 years old...” Even the perfect among us need a little spruce-up from time to time. But it’s not just this snazzy pic of me that’s new this issue – we’ve been right through the magazine, polishing up the pages and adding new features. But don’t panic! All your favourites are still there, we’ve just made them look a bit prettier, and packed in more chats, pics and gossip than ever before. And the reason for this lovely new look? Well, if I’m honest, we’re getting old (and I include myself in that – I recently compared my new pic with one of my old ones taken for the mag. Crumbs!). You see, this year, Inside Soap reaches a whopping 25 years old, and we’re…

“Leanne just wants to be a mum, but she feels incredible guilt” This is the moment when Michelle breaks down in tears upon meeting husband Steve’s secret love child – after Leanne gives birth on the cobbles in dramatic fashion. New mum Leanne can only look on with a heavy heart as Michelle – who is still grieving for her lost baby Ruairi – drops in to offer her congratulations. However, with the awkward situation brought home to her, can Leanne really keep up the deception over her son’s father? “At the beginning, Leanne wasn’t worried about the secret coming out, but when Michelle lost her baby it changed everything,” laments actress Jane Danson, who plays Leanne. “That’s really affected Leanne, not least because she befriended Michelle throughout the journey…

Hi, Jane! What was it like filming Oliver’s birth? It’s the first time I’ve given birth on screen, despite having done it twice in real life. It was a heavy day, and exhausting. Leanne’s birth is very different from others that I’ve seen in Corrie, for reasons I won’t go in to. I don’t want to spoil it! Give us a sneaky hint… Well… it’s Leanne’s first baby, and the birth situation is not ideal, as you can see. It was technically difficult to film, and there was a lot of dialogue – which isn’t usually the case! Is the baby’s dad, Steve, on Leanne’s mind at any point? Not initially, but after a few days of being out and about with the baby, Leanne realises that Steve, Michelle and…

While Leanne experiences the joy of welcoming little Oliver into the world, Steve and Michelle are initially none the wiser about the dramatic events taking place – as they head for the seaside to scatter their son Ruairi’s ashes. Stars Kym Marsh and Simon Gregson, who play the pair, have spoken about the fact that they’ve each been through similar experiences, and so their real-life partners were invited to join them on location to support them during filming. “Matt [Baker, Kym’s other half] and I drove up and had dinner with Simon and his wife, Emma, the night before,” shares Kym. “Matt came to keep Emma company, and we had Simon’s dog Cookie [who plays Steve’s dog, Rover], so they looked after him in between takes.”…

"Aaron could be left feeling like they have unfinished business” Disaster strikes for Robert and Aaron this week, when their marriage ceremony is rudely interrupted by the local constabulary! With Aaron facing jail as he awaits his sentencing, Robert secretly sorts the last-minute wedding at the Woolpack as a romantic surprise. But just as the boys are set to say “I do”, officers come barging into the venue! As the grooms-to-be fear they’ve come for Aaron, is the couple’s happy ever after officially doomed? “If Aaron goes to jail without marrying Robert first, it’ll make his sentence 10 times worse,” sighs Danny Miller, who plays Aaron. “Aaron totally didn’t see this wedding coming – he honestly thought Robert proposed as a way of shutting him up after they’d argued about…

"Mick has no one to turn to – if Jack won’t help, he’s finished” Has Mick become the first victim of Max’s plotting against Albert Square and everyone in it this week? With the Vic landlord’s money worries growing, Jack agrees to throw his mate a lifeline – until manipulative Max steps in and his brother has second thoughts… MAX’S PLAN Working undercover for a shady property magnate, Max seems to have been tasked with helping to destroy the community in Walford – a location ripe for redevelopment to attract wealthy buyers looking for expensive homes. Of course, the pub is the beating heart of the Square, so Max is intent on getting rid of the Carters and their livelihood. And Mick’s current problems have played right into his silent…