As Theo Silverton’s (James Cartwright) abuse escalates, Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) is feeling more trapped than ever in Coronation Street. Will Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) come to his rescue?

Since the tragic death of Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklehurst), Todd has been in dire need of a confidante. The kindness and empathy of his friend and ex-boyfriend gave him the strength to finally confide the horrific regime of humiliation, control and violence that Theo inflected on him throughout their entire relationship.

However, Theo cruelly left Billy to die in the fiery wreckage of the Corriedale crash. Todd didn’t just lose one of the people he loved the most, but the one lifeline he had to escape Theo once and for all. Taking advantage of Todd’s crushed morale and overwhelming grief, Theo has tightened his control under the guise of acting like a loving supportive partner.

Executive Producer Kate Brooks provided some important insight into why Todd has gravitated back to his abuser in the wake of Billy’s death.

‘Going forward it’s a very complicated place that Todd finds himself in’. She explains. ‘He was ready to leave, albeit he was very terrified. He confided in Billy, reluctantly, though he still didn’t fully realise the extent of his abuse. He’s very wrapped up in his grief, post Billy’s death, so as we go forward into 2026 Todd’s all over the shop. He doesn’t feel like he’s got the strength to go through with leaving Theo.

‘He’s feeling really worthless and feeling like if he hadn’t spoken to Billy that night about what happened, maybe Billy could still be alive. That’s what Theo homes in on. Todd is still quite vulnerable and needing someone to lift him up.’

Todd isn’t the only one struggling with Billy’s death. While acting like the perfect boyfriend on paper, Theo is haunted by the awful truth that he left an innocent man to die. Worse still, someone overheard his sobbing confession to Billy’s body before the funeral. Kate Brooks explains how Theo’s guilt is increasing his need for Todd and driving his toxic behaviour.

‘We’ll see Theo becoming more manipulative, we’ll see him starting to draw and pull Todd back into his fold as Todd needs him and needs that support. He feels like he needs somebody to keep him afloat and Theo is that person. Not only is he an absolute lifeline for Todd, but he proves to be an absolute lifeline for Summer and George as well.

‘Obviously we know what Theo’s like, we know what he’s capable of, we know the hell he’s been putting Todd through, but we also know that Todd is extremely vulnerable and he’s exposed at this point.’

Sadly, that guilt has made Theo all the more desperate to keep Todd close. After he hogged the spotlight at Billy’s funeral, Todd was furious by his abusive fiance’s attempt to use the eulogy to make him feel to blame for Billy’s death. The temporary shift in power was enough to drive Theo to an even more insidious kind of control… financial abuse.

Upcoming episodes will see Theo shame Todd into cutting up his credit cards and agreeing to a joint bank account to keep tabs on his finances. Like everything other heinous act he justifies, Theo claims that it’s for Todd’s own good.