Coronation Street Oliver storyline spoilers: Heartbreak for Leanne and Steve as Oliver dies

17 November 2020, 13:33

Coronation Street has confirmed when Oliver's tragic final scenes will air.

It’s been a heartbreaking few months for Coronation Street's Leanne Battersby and Steve McDonald with their son Oliver in hospital fighting for his life.

The toddler was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease earlier this year, and his mum Leanne has been trying prevent the local hospital from switching off his life support.

However, in tough scenes next week, Leanne finally accepts that it's time to let Oliver go.

So, what happens to Oliver? Here’s what we know…

Does Oliver die in Coronation Street?

Coronation Street has confirmed that Oliver Battersby passes away in hospital in a heartbreaking double bill of episodes on Friday, November 27.

After fighting to save her son, Leanne (Jane Danson) will eventually agree to drop her appeal after her solicitor Imran Habeeb (Charlie de Melo) refuses to represent her.

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Viewers know that Steve (Simon Gregson) and Leanne launched the legal battle last month to give them more time to find a cure for Oliver.

Next week, Leanne tells Imran that Steve wants to stop the appeal, adding that she wants to sue the hospital for negligence.

Imran then tells her that he and Elliot Newall (Toby Gaffney) are no longer prepared to represent her.

After struggling to find another lawyer, Leanne barges into Imran’s office, demanding that he helps her.

Coronation Street are back filming with strict social distancing

Steve then begs Leanne to let their son go, and she comes to the heartbreaking decision to turn off Oliver’s life support.

In devastating scenes, the pair watch as his machine is switched off, singing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ at his bedside before Leanne breaks down in tears.

Actress Jane Danson has since said she is ‘proud’ of the storyline, describing it as a ‘gift’.

She told What’s On TV: "From a creative point of view, I’ll probably never get a story as strong and as powerful as this again. It has been such a gift of a story to explore, and an honour to be trusted with something so delicate."

She added: "In terms of logistics [because of the pandemic], it has been quite difficult, working in a way in which we can’t have physical contact, and can’t have children on set as much as we’d like. So that has been hard, but we have got used to it.

“Being in a hospital for 12 hours a day, talking about a dying child, is pretty heavy, but we’ve balanced it with lighter moments.

"We’ve all tackled this knowing that it’s a real story that happens to real families, so we owe it to them to tell it as truthfully as we can.

“Obviously, we’ve had the twisty soap elements mixed in, but in terms of a story about Oliver’s illness, we’re really proud of what we’ve been able to do during such strange times.”

Coronation Street has worked closely with charity The Lily Foundation throughout the storyline. You can find out more about mitochondrial disease on their website.

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