Coronation Street’s Sinead Tinker is to be diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The knicker factory worker – played by Katie McGlynn – will be told she has the disease, which killed off former cobbles favourite Alma Halliwell (Amanda Barrie) in 2001, just weeks after discovering she is expecting Daniel Osbourne’s (Rob Mallard) baby.
A TV insider said: "This will be a real bombshell for the residents of the street.
"And the memories of what happened to Alma will come flooding back for Weatherfield’s older viewers."
While Alma eventually died from the disease, it’s not known if Sinead will meet her maker or not.
Sinead will reveal she had noticed symptoms but didn’t go to get checked out, and she may have to consider an abortion so she can have treatment to save herself.
Alma’s cervical cancer story sparked controversy among some die-hard ‘Corrie’ supporters who claimed her deterioration was "unrealistic", and the actress herself, who described the plot as a "cheap ratings ploy".
The insider added to The Sun’s Bizarre TV column: "It was a controversial storyline at the time as Amanda accused bosses of using it for ratings.
"And some said the speed with which Alma deteriorated was very unrealistic.
"It remains to be seen whether Sinead’s cancer battle will have a similarly tragic ending."
Amanda admitted at the time she didn’t like the plot "one bit" and felt "extremely anxious" about it.
Speaking in 2001, she said: "If you are going to take an issue like this and use it for entertainment you have to be just so very, very careful.
"From the moment I learned what was going to happen I was extremely anxious about it. And as Alma’s illness and deterioration proceeded with such amazing speed I really did feel I was being asked to take part in a cheap ratings ploy. I didn’t like it one bit."
The plot saw Alma miss a smear test and then be the victim of a hospital blunder only to be diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer just weeks before her death.
A spokeswoman for the Cancer Research Campaign also described the storyline as "unrealistic".
She said at the time: "The storyline was quite unrealistic. It’s highly unlikely that someone who had previously had negative smears would be suddenly be diagnosed as being in the terminal stages.
"It would only have been realistic if she had missed tests in the last 15 or 20 years or so. If she had been in the terminal stages, she would probably have had some form of bleeding or unexplained weight loss.
"Whilst we are not against soap operas making people aware of such issues, there is a responsibility on broadcasters to make sure that storylines are researched properly. Cancer is a very sensitive topic."
Coronation Street’s Sinead Tinker set for cancer diagnosis
