Coronation Street Christmas Day spoilers as a shock new affair begins

TIMES have been hard for Steve McDonald and Tracy Barlow as they've faced countless hurdles in recent months.

But there could be more heartbreak ahead for the Coronation Street couple as a third party could drive a wedge between them.

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Weatherfield favourite Amy Barlow has struggled for several months following her rape ordeal, which took place after a drunken evening with Aaron Sandford and friends.

The young woman wanted to fight back against her attacker after finally coming to terms with what he had done to her.

This landed her in legal trouble with Aaron and his father Eric, meaning her parents eventually had to step up to the plate to financially support her battle.

Unfortunately, this has inevitably caused issues between her parents Tracy Barlow (played by Kate Ford) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).

In recent scenes of the Manchester-based drama, fan favourite Steve admitted to his pal Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) that his marriage with Tracy wasn't as stable anymore.

Sadly, things are only set to get worse for the pair due to the explosive Christmas comeback of a familiar face in Weatherfield.

It all begins this week when Tracy is unimpressed to find out she will have to cook for ten people at No.1 this Christmas.

Steve fails to make her feel any better about their festivities and a joke about relationship gap years causes friction.

Popping over to the flower shop to find a bottle of wine she finds herself serving former football star Tommy Orpington (Matt Milburn) who has seized the opportunity to get a last minute gift for his mother.

As regular viewers of the Manchester-based program will remember, Tommy hasn't been seen in the cobbles since 2021, when he retired from his footballing career.

He was first introduced in 2016 when he befriended Steve McDonald and Tim Metcalfe after hiring Michelle Connor as a wedding planner.

But will the newly single football star really embark on an affair with Coronation Street's iconic villainess?

Soap boss Iain MacLeod teased this may well be the case during a recent chat with The Sun.

"Well, you'll see him on Christmas Day. He, since leaving football, has made some bad business investments, not the least of which was opening a Tommy Orpington themed gourmet burger restaurant, which has been established on screen."

"Anyway, they've all gone belly up, his wife has left him and he's now had to return to the trade he had when he was a non league footballer, which is painter and decorator."

"He is now single, and there might be one of our female characters that needs some decorating done - not a euphemism."

Could Tommy sabotage his own bond with Steve McDonald?

Will Tracy throw her own marriage away?

As viewers of the show will remember, Steve and Tracy have encountered several obstacles throughout the years and have managed to stick together against all odds.

But could there be a limit as to what they can handle?

Is their romance really meant to last?

Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8pm on ITV.

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