devastating

As Coronation Street villain Idris Nazir takes cruel action against Underworld owner Carla Connor-Swain, actress Alison King has revealed ‘devastation and disaster’ ahead

Carla Connor-Swain will be cruelly targeted by a Coronation Street villain very soon.

Now, actress Alison King, who has played Carla for 20 years, has teased “devastation and disaster” ahead. While Carla’s wife Lisa Connor-Swain will be there to support her, Carla faces rough times.

With her business, Underworld, facing ruin, villain Idris Nazir goes out of his way to steal it from her, including by sabotaging her plans. Soon, Carla has a fight on her hands with her livelihood at risk.

Ali shared: “She’s trying her absolute best to keep a lid on how stressed she is so she doesn’t panic everyone. But with inflation, everything is tight.

“The orders haven’t been coming in, and they haven’t been winning the contracts they wanted. She’s keeping it under her hat, but they are really struggling.

“She’s been trying to be strong and deal with it on her own, but she’s had a lot coming at her. I think she’s taken her eye off the game a bit and hasn’t been as invested.

“We also haven’t had the full team together, Sarah’s been awaiting her trial. There’s been a lot of turmoil for everyone.” Lisa’s there for Carla, but it leads to tension between them, with Ali adding: “Lisa is very literal, so she says things coming from a place of love, but it really rubs Carla the wrong way.

“Carla is learning to deal with that and understand what Lisa actually means, but she hated the thought of that. The factory is a huge part of Carla’s identity, it’s everything to her. It’s that or nothing.

“She lives very much in the present, and that fight-or-flight mode keeps her going.” Of course Idris is doing his best to get to Carla, with him after Underworld. Ali said: “Idris instantly rubbed her up the wrong way.

“Just the fact that he chimed in as if he knew anything about her, the way he speaks to her, and how he carries himself, everything about him annoys her right from the off. It was very abrupt, and there was almost literal hatred there from the start.

“She doesn’t know she’s underestimated him yet because she doesn’t realise he was behind [what happens]. Carla fights fire with fire and isn’t frightened of someone like him, but she underestimates just how nasty and manipulative he can be.

“Her instincts about bad people are usually spot on, but at the moment, he doesn’t scare her because she doesn’t know what lengths he will go to.” Carla hopes to salvage things before they are lost though.

Ali said: “Everything is on track if she can get this massive order out. That would tide them over into the next contract, and they’d be fine. This new client is someone she’s been wanting to work with for ages, and she knows anyone in the industry would vouch for Underworld’s track record. She’s really looking forward to working with him.”

But things change as devastation strikes, while fans will have to wait and see what happens. Ali went on: “She loves her workforce, they mean everything to her. They’re like her children, especially after giving her the most beautiful wedding.

“So having to let them down, especially financially right before Christmas, is absolutely devastating for her. She’s completely gutted. She’s devastated. She keeps it to herself for as long as she can before having to confess that the insurance won’t cover it.

“She simply overlooked it because her head was full with everything else, Sarah, Betsy, and keeping things running. Given past trauma like the roof collapse, it’s a massive trigger for her. At this point, she genuinely thinks it was just a terrible, tragic accident.”

Carla will not go down without a fight though. Ali said: “Running it with someone else wouldn’t be her first choice, but if it’s her only option to keep everyone above water, she’d do it. What’s driving her to save it is the panic of having no plan B, not wanting to play second fiddle to Lisa, and feeling a massive responsibility toward her staff and being a role model for Betsy.

“But she does not want Idris involved at any cost.” Ali has enjoyed playing Carla’s “vulnerable” side in the scenes too. She said: “Bringing vulnerable Carla out of the box reminds everyone of who she really is.

“Every time she goes through a crisis like this, she comes back a bit more understanding and empathetic toward others, even if she still loses her temper along the way!” On her future if Underworld does close, she added: “Her default seems to be helping Roy in the cafe, I would love that, she could live the dream running a cafe.

“But she likes the day to day cut and thrust of running the factory so it might not keep her satisfied for too long. She isn’t ready to slow down.”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

IT was the end of a perfect summer in the South of France, but within days of returning to the UK, Chloe Khan’s world came crashing down.

Almost all of her incredible designer collection of bags and shoes was stolen, in what she believes could have been a targeted attack.

And now two weeks on, the 35-year-old, who first rose to fame on X Factor, is no closer to finding any of her items – despite offering a £10k reward for information.

But Chloe, who believes she lost £400k of designer clothes in the robbery, has vowed to continue shopping and sharing her glam life online.

“I am a materialistic person and I do love beautiful stuff, but at the same time my family’s all healthy and happy,” she said.

“They’ve already taken all my physical items off me, they’re not going to take my personality off me as well.

“That’s what I enjoy posting, that’s my lifestyle post, I’m not going to wear an average outfit.”

Speaking for the first time about the devastating blow, Chloe, who lives in Belgravia with her private businessman boyfriend, said: “I was completely wiped out.

“It was around £400k worth of stuff – it was like my lifelong collection of stuff. I took everything over so that my closet was nice over there.”

The items included a pink Birkin bag, worth £30k, another orange Birkin, a Christian Dior Himalayan Lady Dior worth £26k, as well as numerous luxury items and one- off pieces that have never been worn.

Chloe travelled back to England via train so her beloved pomeranian pooch could be with her  – while her driver was tasked with bringing her belongings back via car.

She loaded up the car with five cases full to the brim with her expensive wardrobe, but three days after she arrived home there was no sign of her items. 

“I presumed it was still in transit. But it turns out after arriving back in the UK our driver parked the vehicle near to where he lives instead of my home. 

“Without me knowing that my items were already back in the UK, he left the car there, the vehicle there for three days in a car park that says ‘do not leave valuable items’ and the car was smashed into and everything was taken.”

Her valuables were later found in a field a mile away from the car park by a dog walker, who managed to track Chloe down.

The police were contacted and CCTV showed a car entering the carpark around the time the robbery was expected to have taken place. No arrests have been made. 

It’s been incredibly difficult for Chloe to deal with and has left her questioning her driver.

She said: “I’ve been really suspicious of the driver, but he’s worked for my boyfriend for 23 years, they’ve got a really close relationship.

“The whole family all really trusted him, but the day after it happened, the driver resigned the same day. There was no apology, not even an ‘oh my God, are you okay?’  

“So obviously at the time I thought I had clearly been set up here.

“But now after speaking with my boyfriend and his family – we think he’s mentioned to someone he’s bringing all this stuff over and I think they’ve targeted it.

“The information has got to the wrong person. So I think it’s more of a loose lips, stupid situation. Regardless, it’s just such a neglectful thing to do and it was so avoidable by him.”

Chloe has been dating her boyfriend for the past year but is yet to reveal his identity. 

She decided to share news of her robbery on social media in the hope she could retrieve some of the items.

But Chloe came under fire from trolls who told her “you deserve it for sharing all your stuff online”.

It didn’t deter the star though and the next day she headed to Harrods to try and build up her collection once again. 

Unfortunately she didn’t have the right insurance, which means she’s been unable to claim any money back.

Speaking to me as they holidayed in the Serengeti – in the same villa Jeff Bezos stayed in the week before – she said: “I don’t think this has happened because of what I share online although I do know obviously it can make you a big target to share stuff like that online.

“What it has done is give me a trauma about suitcases to be honest because just a few days before this my daughter was in France travelling with my Louis Vuitton suitcase and it was stolen. 

“I just never want to see a suitcase again and I also don’t want to transport my stuff from place to place.”

Despite everything she has been through, Chloe isn’t letting it put a damper on her incredible life. 

“I’ve actually surprised myself how I’ve dealt with it because I’ve not cried once, I’ve not actually let it get me down,” she said.

Chloe has come a long way from when she first appeared on TV back in 2009 on the BBC Three show Snog, Marry, Avoid. 

But it was the following year that the star – who went by the name Chloe Mafia – really became a household name.

In 2010, she auditioned for the X Factor and warbled her way through Summertime and a Shakira song – and got through to boot camp.

But she was kicked off the show after admitting she’d stayed up all night partying.

A few other reality TV shows followed and Chloe – who had her daughter Destiny when she was just 16 – went on to earn millions through a webcam business.

During lockdown she was earning $700k a month on OnlyFans, which she gave up last year when she met her man.

Reflecting on her success, she said: “It just feels like a completely different life.

“It doesn’t feel like two chapters of one book, it feels like two separate books.”

Now Chloe and her daughter, who is now 18, spend their days travelling the world in luxury.

She describes her little girl as a ‘stay at home daughter’, while she is a ‘spoilt girlfriend’ and is enjoying every second of it.

It’s also meant she has been able to move on from the robbery – with a very positive outlook.

“I thought to myself the other day – there are people in life that have struggles, some people might struggle with mental health or some people with actual physical health conditions or some people might have financial difficulties,” she said.

“For me, for some reason, mine is that I always get robbed. And I think if that’s my worst thing in life then my life’s actually quite good then, because it could be so much worse.

“When I got the news that all my stuff had been robbed I thought, do you know what, at this exact same minute someone’s got the news that they’ve got a month to live. Being robbed is not the worst thing in the world yet, it’s s**t. But it’s happened before and I’ll start again.”

ITV viewers have issued the same complaint following the latest episode of Big Brother

Big Brother viewers have been left ‘devastated’ by recent scenes in the ITV show.

The reality competition returned to screens on Sunday night (October 18), thrusting viewers into the aftermath of Friday’s eviction. Radio presenter Rob was forced to leave the house after losing the public vote to his co-stars Yasmin and Twinks.

Following Rob’s sad exit, Big Brother has introduced this week’s big theme: The House of Time. In the coming days, each housemate will be taking part in tasks to win time with their loved ones.

But the exciting twist has been overshadowed by a huge row that broke out between housemates just minutes into the latest episode. It came after Catrin was left in tears over the divide among her co-stars, admitting she felt uncomfortable because housemates have secretly been “nasty about each other”.

“I feel so frustrated. I feel like there is such a clique. I just hate it,” she confided in Lynx. Her complaint soon made its rounds in the house, and sparked a heated row between Twinks and Philip.

After spotting Catrin’s low mood, Yasmin asked her co-stars: “Is she ok? She looked like she’d been crying.” Twinks then explained that the 23-year-old was struggling to adjust to the hierarchy in the house, implying that the so-called “King Philip and Queen Rochelle” are key players in the housemates’ divide.

She said: “Yeah she is. She’s struggling with the dynamics of the house. Big time. It’s getting to her a lot. She’s a sensitive, stunning, little soul and the whole us and them, the whole hierarchy of this spot. Let’s not pretend this isn’t a thing.”

Tensions reached boiling point when Rhianna reported the conversation to Philip, who wasted no time before confronting Twinks. Storming into the lounge, he fumed: “Twinks. Who is the highest person in here?”

Twinks defended herself and replied: “You are.” After some back-and-forth, Philip then hit back with: “Keep your f***** mouth shut.” In another scene, the 53-year-old vented his frustrations with Twinks to his close friends and brutally referred to her as a “c***”.

The row proved too much for Twinks as she was left contemplating quitting the show altogether. Confiding in Big Brother, Twinks revealed that she felt “hideous” after her spat with Philip. “I am so unwelcome in this place,” she said as she tried to fight back tears.

She added: “Why would I put myself through this? It doesn’t feel nice. ‘Grow thick skin, it’s the big Brother house.’ Maybe I don’t want a thick skin, maybe I had to have a thick skin growing up and I’ve spent the last 15 years trying to feel soft and feel things.

“It’s not nice, they’re not nice people. I really genuinely feel like Cat would have such a better chance if I wasn’t here. She’s such a sweet, kind, and empathetic person.”

Viewers at home were left ‘devastated’ as they watched Twinks and Catrin crying over the divide among the contestants, with many calling for Big Brother to take some form of action to resolve tensions in the house.

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An X user posted: “Big Brother has to do something. This feels so icky. #bbuk,” while someone else agreed: “BB please do something I’m begging.”

A third viewer made the same request, writing: “This is actually uncomfortable to watch now. @bbuk you need to do something […].” Others were moved by Twinks’ breakdown, as one posted: “Twinks has me sobbing this house is literally horrific vibes, she’s not had a break since day 1 #bbuk.”

Yet another supporter said: “They have completely broken Twinks, this is so devastating #BBUK,” with a final fan exclaiming: “NOOOOO Twinks can’t leave omgggg big brother do something #Bigbrother#Bigbrotheruk #BBUK.”

Catrin and Twinks have been struggling to settle in since they joined the show just over two weeks ago.

Big Brother continues Monday at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX

Kelvin and Liz returned with a new episode of Fletchers’ Family Farm, as they worked to rebuild their home after a fire.

Kelvin Fletcher’s wife Liz was left admitting ‘it’s quite emotional’.

The couple were looking back on the remains of their home in the Peak District after a devastating fire. Last year, Kelvin, Liz and their four children were on holiday when a fire broke out. They’re now rebuilding it all, but had to start with going through what had been left behind.

In an ITV episode of Fletchers’ Family Farm airing on Sunday, 18 October, Liz made an emotional admission as she worked through the job with Kelvin that had been on their list “for a long time”.

The couple were going through their own home, taking out what could be salvaged from the remains. “Look how much it has just burnt straight through the wood, that’s crazy,” she said, as she held up a wooden frame that was covered in burn marks.

Kelvin narrated: “We may be living back at the farm, but we’re still months away from living in the farmhouse following the fire last year.”

As their children had grown over the last year, Liz was left throwing out old nappy bags, baby carriers, and wellington boots that no longer fit.

Kelvin went on: “A year and a half since the fire, and we have to throw out everything that has been damaged by the smoke.”

Picking up one of their children’s baby jackets, when the couple were planning to move to LA before buying the farm, Kelvin commented: “Funny how things turn out, can’t throw that!”

Going through more jackets, Liz went on: “This is just all the stuff that when the fire brigade had to break in, stuff that was blasted by the door. It’s sad because you realise how little the twins were and how this stuff doesn’t fit them anymore.”

She added: “It’s one of those things, you mentally have to prepare yourself for, it’s been so long and we’ve just not been able to do anything because surveys and checks have been done as part of the insurance process. And now we can finally start clearing it out and building it back together.”

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Kelvin narrated: “Five years on from leaving Oldham, and so much has changed. This farm has given us a new life. And rebuilding the farm house is about building the heart of it back, along with a few old memories that we’re rediscovering.”

At one point, Liz said: “It’s quite emotional actually. It just shows how much time continues no matter what you’re going through, things keep going, you’ve just got to keep yourself.”

She added: “The exciting part is, although this now feels really sombre and quite depressing, but, like my dad always says, you’ve got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette, and it feels like we’re at that stage at the moment.”

Fletchers’ Family Farm is available to watch on ITVX.