CORONATION Street’s Tyrone Dobbs is set to get a major shock when ex Alina Pop returns to Weatherfield – with a child.
The nail technician – who is played by actress Ruxandra Porojnicu in the ITV soap – fled from the cobbles three years ago after Tyrone dumped her to reunite with long-term love Fiz Stape.
Humiliated Alina had told Tyrone she was pregnant, but then said she had lied and left to return to her family in Romania.
However viewers got a hint that she had lied when she was seen in the airport cradling her stomach.
The Sun exclusively revealed how Alina would be making a shock return to the cobbles this summer.
A source revealed: “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.”
And now our exclusive pictures have revealed that she is very much with child – and she’s getting some surprising help.
She can be seen being driven about and helped into a cab by Tyrone’s mum Cassie Plummer.
But is Cassie scheming with Alina to try and drive a wedge between Tyrone and Fiz?
Or does she suspect Alina’s child is Tyrone’s and she wants to reunite them with their father?
Character Alina arrived in the country in 2019 from Romania as a victim of human trafficking.
Once in Weatherfield, she was forced to work at the evil Rachel Healy’s 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.
Finally free, Alina returned to Weatherfield and began a relationship with Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) despite their age difference and the fact he was in a relationship with Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) at the time.
She soon fell pregnant with their first baby.
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.
When she found out, Alina was left devastated and decided to return home to Romania, ending things with Tyrone.
Tyrone and Fiz would later reunite and get married, tying the knot on Christmas Day 2022.
While the pair have certainly had their issues in the past Tyrone and Fiz remain one of Corrie’s most beloved couples.
LOVE triangles are a fundamental part of soap-land, but which ones have become the most iconic?
EASTENDERS
Bradley/Stacey/Max: Stacey Slater began an affair with boyfriend Bradley Branning’s dad Max in 2007.
Despite their romps, Stacey still married Bradley, but their deceit came out in an iconic Christmas Day episode that year.
Grant/Sharon/Phil: Heading even further back in Walford history, EastEnders fans were gripped in the 90s as Sharon Watts had a one-night stand with her brother-in-law Phil Mitchell.
Sharon confided in best friend Michelle Fowler – not realising it was caught on tape – and her husband Grant eventually found out and played it in front of everyone at the Queen Vic.
Syed/Amira/Christian: Syed Masood was engaged to Amira before realising he had feelings for another man, Christian, which he confessed to him on his wedding day.
A devout Muslim, Syed refused to admit his true sexuality and went ahead and married Amira anyway, but when they returned, the two men started an affair before being caught in the act by Amira.
CORONATION STREET
Shelley/Peter/Lucy: Peter Barlow took the concept of a love triangle and ran with it in Coronation Street – extending it to bigamy.
He was in a relationship with Shelley Unwin but started dating Lucy Richards, and quickly married her after she fell pregnant with his son, Simon.
But it didn’t stop him also marrying Shelley, but he was eventually caught when Lucy turned up in Weatherfield and the two women confronted him.
Ken/Deidre/Mike: Back in 1982, Deirdre Barlow started sleeping with her husband’s nemesis Mike Baldwin in secret, before confessing all a year later.
When Mike turned up at the marital home, Deirdre was being throttled by her husband who then kicked her out, but years later they reconciled.
Maria/Aidan/Eva: In 2017, Aidan Connor started sleeping with girlfriend Eva Price’s best friend, Maria Connor.
Eva eventually found out and she decided to take revenge by faking a pregnancy, spending his money and planned to confront him on their wedding day.
But she had a change of heart when a remorseful Aidan confessed, and decided to marry him anyway, only for Maria to arrive and expose her fake pregnancy.
EMMERDALE
Ross/Debbie/Pete: Debbie Dingle found herself torn between two brothers, Ross and Pete Barton in 2015 in Emmerdale.
She eventually decided to marry Pete but yet again, a soap wedding day was ruined when the groom learned of his bride’s betrayal via a recording played at the wedding.
Chrissie/Robert/Aaron: Robert Sugden was married to Chrissie White and all seemed well – until he began a steamy affair with Aaron Dingle.
Robert’s ex Katie Sugden almost exposed the affair – but fell to her death before she had the chance.
However, a guilty Aaron eventually cracked and told Chrissie about the affair – after which she announced it to the whole pub.
So the return of Alina is sure to cause some friction.
Since leaving the soap, Ruxandra has been working in theatre, joining the cast of Straw Dogs in London in 2023.
