CORONATION Street fans were left horrified after a new storyline aired and they found it completely inappropriate. Leanne Battersby has been in the limelight in recent weeks as she started being targeted by a dangerous cult leader. Coronation Street newcomer Rowan Cunliffe managed to draw the woman in with his teachings.
She joined his so called self-improvement group, named The Institute, and became obsessed with learning how to "download" and "upload". Her family members became increasingly worried as she pulled away from them while getting engrossed in Rowan's ideology. They also spotted her frequently talking to a mysterious figure on her laptop.
Nick began to suspect that Leanne was having an affair with Rowan after the cult leader sent yellow roses to the Bistro for her. When he demanded to know what was happening between them, she revealed who she had been chatting with online. In terrifying scenes, viewers Leanne showed her partner an AI version of her dead son Oliver, who passed away four years ago after battling with mitochondrial disease.
The computer generated version of her child was the age that Oliver would have been if he was still alive. The tearful mum told Nick: "I've got my boy back! I can talk to Oliver again." Fans of the ITV soap were left disgusted by the obvious scam.
Several took to social media to complain that the writers had taken it too far, with one ranting: "This is something that you would see in a horror film, not in what’s supposed to be a.