CORONATION Street ended in heartbreak tonight as Rita Sullivan was seen leafing through her photo album in tears.
While Christmas music about the “happiest season of all” wafted in from outside, she was shown sobbing uncontrollably at the memories of all the friends she had.
Rita sobbed as she looked through an old photo album
As she settled on a picture of her and Norris Cole at the Rovers, she collapsed in floods of tears, clasping the book.
It was a stark contrast to the jolly scenes outdoors, where snow was shown falling over Weatherfield while festive songs played.
Inside, Rita was seen with a glass of whisky watching the seconds tick by on a clock perched on a mantelpiece with a solitary Christmas card on it.
The harrowing scenes are part of a new festive storyline which sees the character convinced she has no friends left.
The legendary soap character was alone in her home
The album was filled with pictures of Rita and her friends
She caught up with Gemma, who was too busy to chat properly
Her trip to Emily’s has fallen through and lodgers Paul and Gemma have moved out, leaving her feeling lonely.
However, desperate not to be seen as a burden, Rita says she’s visiting her old friend Mavis over Christmas – even though she has no such plans.
Dev drops round a Christmas tree, but leaves her to decorate it alone which results in her suffering a nasty fall with no one around to help.
Soap bosses hope the storyline will highlight the plight that is often suffered by lonely elderly people at this time of year.
Corrie viewers were left sobbing along with poor Rita after tonight’s tragic scenes.
One tweeted: “wow what a powerful storyline with Rita.”
Another said: “I really feel bad for Rita.”
A third wrote: “Poor Rita #corrie #coronationstreet.”
