Coronation Street star Julia Goulding has revealed what’s in store for her character, Shona Platt, after learning that her unborn child has a potentially cancerous tumour.

A storyline which will evolve next week, in Monday’s episode (10 November), Shona and her husband, David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), will attend a routine scan, in which the sonographer identifies a mass on their baby’s neck.

As a result, a special episode will follow on Wednesday, 12 November, in which the same morning will be shown from two different perspectives as David and Shona prepare to meet with a consultant at the hospital.

Noting that the couple will experience some disconnect as they head to their next appointment, Goulding reflected: “She’s thinking that he’s not that bothered. He’s thinking that he’s doing a really good job of seeming okay with it. And I think the whole point of the special episode is to show how isolated they both feel, and how much stronger they are when they’re together and on the same track, as it were.

“She just feels very alone, lost, scared, all the things that you would do, and it hasn’t helped with him not turning up to the first scan and being late for the second one, so she’s not feeling as confident in his support, whereas he’s feeling really lousy about probably knowing that’s how she’s feeling but not really being able to express it because it’s David Platt.”

During the consultation, the couple will receive confirmation that their baby has a tumour, with a doctor explaining that should Shona want to go full-term with her pregnancy, she would need to undergo a complex, high-risk operation.

Reflecting on the storyline, Goulding said: “It’s crushing. Absolutely crushing. It would be for anyone. They were really difficult scenes to do, because I’ve got children of my own and I’ve had scans, I know how excited you feel before them, and then for them to come out and not to be able to celebrate and have joy with something so joyful, is really, really sad.”

Revealing if Shona will opt for the surgery, the actor explained: “Termination isn’t an option for her. She’s just like, ‘Yep, surgery, we’re doing it.’

“And I think that’s where a lot of the conflict comes in, because it’s a particular type of operation and it’s incredibly rare, and there is a risk to mother’s life and baby’s life. And that’s where David’s arguments come in, to at least think about the pros and cons of having a termination or having the surgery.”