He left viewers gobsmacked when he arrived in Weatherfield
Mal Roper in Coronation Street(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street fans think they have rumbled Mal Roper’s real motivation as they doubt he is who he claims to be as he refuses to leave Weatherfield – and Bernie Winter.
Those who follow the ITV soap were left gobsmacked last week when an unfamiliar face arrived at Roy’s Rolls and seeking out owner Roy Cropper, and punched him in the face.
The man arrived and announced he was looking for Roy, and as the cafe owner presented himself, the man held up some flowers and said he had sent them to his wife, before punching him in the face. It wasn’t until after he revealed himself to be Mal Roper, the husband of Roy’s pen pal, Alice.
Roy had been chatting to the woman, whose son is in prison, after he had joined an organisation that connected him with prisoners. While Roy insisted there was no romantic feelings, as he’d only sent the flowers having missed their planned meeting, Mal revealed they’d been married for 31 years with three children together.
He ended up leaving the café upset and was later found propping up the bar at the Chariot Square Hotel where he met Bernie, who had also been out drowning her own sorrows after struggling to keep putting on a brave face following the recent tragic death of her son-in-law, Billy Mayhew.
They ended up in Mal’s hotel room and as their drinking and chatting continued, Mal attempted to kiss Bernie. who pulled away and reminded him that she was married. Later, Ryan Connor was seen knocking at the door following more noise complaints. Debbie insisted nothing had happened between her and Mal, and admitted they’d done drugs.
Bernie ended up in a hotel room with Mal(Image: ITV)
Bernie eventually left, but the episode then ended on a worrying note as she was found unconscious, slumped in a toilet cubicle by a group of girls in a nightclub. The next morning, her family were concerned as Bernie remained AWOL, before returning and wanting to press on with attending her grandson, Brody Michaelis’, 17th birthday party.
After the party, Bernie came face-to-face with Mal again as she and her husband, Dev Alahan, headed to the Rovers. She begged him not to say anything about the drugs or what went on between them. Mal promised to stay silent, but dropped the bombshell that she’d be seeing more of him as Roy had offered him work sorting out his electrics.
But as the scenes unfolded, Corrie fans flocked to social media as they are adamant that Mal isn’t who he says he is, and that he’s out to con Roy or Bernie – or both!
@ThomasR14336083 questioned: “Does Alice actually exist or is Mal lying? Until we actually see Alice I don’t believe Mal. There’s something fishy about him. #Corrie.” @callyoubetty said: “Alice doesn’t exist, does she, Mel/Mal? #Corrie.” @RyanSoapKing25 commented: “I think Mal is catfishing Roy and his wife doesn’t exist hence his night with Bernie. #Corrie.”
@happytrecker posted: “Does anyone think there is no wife called Alice?! It was him messaging Roy.” @jlines64 echoed: “He has no wife. He’s playing Roy and is he going to blackmail Bernie?” @highland_princess_xx added: “Alice Didn’t exist as it was Mal texting Roy. He’s definitely a bad one. Bernie and Roy best watch themselves.”