LIFE in the cobbles has been less unforgiving to Stu Carpenter in recent months.
Next week in Coronation Street, however, Zeedan Nazir is surprised to see him drunk at work at Speed Daal.
Bill Fellows made quite the impression on ITV viewers after first appearing in Weatherfield as homeless man Stu Carpenter in October, 2021.
The warm-hearted, friendly character has become a fan favourite, remaining a close source of support for wayward teen Kelly Neelan.
Things have changed since his days of sleeping in the rough, most notably thanks to Yasmeen Nazir (portrayed by Shelley King) who gave him a job at her restaurant Speed Daal.
The pair have even grown closer, hinting at a budding romance despite a recent row.
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But after turning his life around, Stu displays signs that not all is well and could endanger everything he has managed to build for himself.
Coming up, a downbeat Stu shows Yasmeen a parcel and explains to her that it has been returned to him by the new owners of his daughter’s house.
As soap fans may know, the chef lost track of his family amid the Covid pandemic, when he had no other choice but to turn to the streets.
This has resulted in him having no way of contacting his daughter.
In later scenes, Yasmeen leaves him and her grandson Zeedan (Qasim Akhtar) to run the restaurant for a day.
Zeedan, not wanting to get on her bad side again, heads to the kitchen and takes his tasks seriously – while Stu surreptitiously takes a swig from his flask.
Things go from bad to worse when Zeedan heads out of the kitchen and finds a drunk Stu playing drinking games with a table full of rowdy men.
Most of Stu’s backstory has remained a mystery throughout his many appearances on screens but fans have grown fond of him as he helped Yasmeen gain back her confidence and trust after her abusive marriage to Geoff Metcalfe.
