Billy Mayhew’s (Daniel Brocklebank) death has had a devastating effect on Bernie Winter-Alahan (Jane Hazlegrove) in Coronation Street, forcing her

to reflect on the passing of her son Paul Foreman (Peter Ash). In the last two years, Bernie has lost some of the most important people in her life –

and while others around her openly displayed their grief, she has been silently suffering.

Billy’s funeral earlier this week clearly took its toll on her, and when she returned home, she lashed out towards husband Dev (Jimmi Harkishin) before retiring to bed.

In today’s episode, he asked her to take a day off work, but Bernie was adamant to get some normality back in her life. However, at the cafe, the ceremony was on everyone’s lips and it became somewhat overwhelming.

She rushed out, just as some drama began to unfold. A man charged in past her, confronting owner Roy Cropper (David Neilson) with a bouquet of flowers before smacking him across the face.

It transpired that the angry fella was none other than Mal Roper (Tim Treloar), the husband of Roy’s pen pal Alice. He was furious to learn that they’d been exchanging letters for months, and assumed that they were also having an affair.

Despite being reassured that his wife wasn’t being unfaithful, a conflicted Mal rushed off to drown his sorrows at the Chariot Square Hotel.

Meanwhile, Bernie was preparing to head to the pub for a night out with the girls, something which Dev warned her against.

Adamant that it would do her a world of good, she began to take full advantage of Maggie Driscoll’s (Pauline McLynn) half-price spirits offer. Everyone could see that she was drinking too much, and she then decided to take her party elsewhere.

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Heading to the hotel, she bumped into a sorrowful Mal and the two struck up an immediate friendship. They began to chat about their individual woes, and when manager Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) asked them to quieten down, they headed to his room.

Bernie then took a worrying turn. She picked up some drugs, and the pair danced around the room. It was clear that Mal wanted things to go further, though after a kiss, Bernie reminded him that she was married.

Back at home, Dev wondered where she had got to. Her drunken pals stumbled into his living room with kebabs, and he frantically attempted to contact her.

With Mal asleep, she lay beside him on the hotel bed and was met by a disapproving Ryan again. He warned her that there had been several noise complaints, and she should go home.

However, as the episode came to a close, we learnt that she’d actually went to a nightclub and had passed out beside a toilet.

Will Bernie be ok?