CORONATION Street has confirmed the return of Alina Pop after she’s spent the last two years away from the cobbles.
Alina (Ruxandra Porojnicu) left Weatherfield after her relationship with Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) fell apart.
After breaking up with Alina, Tyrone got back together with Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) and the pair married on Christmas Day in 2022.
They are now one of the soap’s most beloved couples, but Alina’s upcoming return threatens to tear them apart.
Next week, viewers will see Fiz will get a shock when she hears Alina’s name.
In the cafe, Debbie and Rita break the news to Fiz that the leader of some human trafficking group in Romania is going on trial and Alina could be called as a witness.
Alina hasn’t been seen on the cobbles for two years, after a string of hard-hitting storylines with topics including human trafficking and baby loss. But she’ll be back very soon.
Sources told The Sun Online: “Ruxandra has already been into the studios and started filming.
“She was a huge favourite with fans and the cast and crew, so everyone’s so happy to see her back.”
During her time away from the soap, Ruxandra has been working in theatre, joining the cast of Straw Dogs in London in 2023.
But now she’s ready to return to Weatherfield.
Romanian-born Aline first arrived in the U.K. in 2019 as a victim of human trafficking.
Once in Weatherfield, she was forced to work at the evil Rachel Healy’s (Verity Henry) Sparkle Lounge Salon, living under Rachel’s barbaric rule in horrific conditions.
Befriending Seb Franklin (Harry Visinoni), she was able to help bust the trafficking ring wide open with the help of Jan Lozinski (Piotr Baumann), who was working undercover in the ring.
Once free, Aline struck up a relationship with Weatherfield local Tyrone despite their age difference and the fact he was in a relationship with Fiz at the time.
She even fell pregnant with their child.
However, things turned sour when Hope – Fiz’s daughter with serial killer John Stape – started a fire in their flat, causing her to lose the baby.
In a bid to protect Hope and Fiz, Tyrone initially hid the fact Hope was behind the fire.
He eventually realised that he wanted to reunite with Fiz, leaving Alina devastated and in the end decided to return home to Romania.
Although it was somewhat of an amicable ending between Alina and Tyrone, her return will not be drama free.
Viewers will see Fiz take drastic action in the coming weeks as Alina’s return to the cobbles causes some friction.
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.