Gemma’s concern for Rita!
SHE FEARS THAT HER FRIEND IS GRAVELY ILL…
Shocked Gemma begins to suspect this week that Rita may have dementia – after Rita sets a place for her late husband Len at the dinner table.
The two friends have been at loggerheads, but that hasn’t stopped Gemma from caring about Rita and her health. So when Gemma spots Rita doing some odd things, she wonders if they are signs of a medical condition. Is there something seriously wrong with the Weatherfield favourite?
“Rita is usually so sharp and formidable that this change in her behaviour is going to worry those who love her,” says our Coronation Street sneak. “Gemma adores Rita, and their rift has been breaking her heart. All she wants is to make up and get back to normal, but it’s becoming clear that something is wrong.”
What’s confusing for Norris and the rest of Rita’s friends is that she’s still the lady they know and love most of the time. Like Gemma, she’s devastated by their falling-out – so after Rita discovers that it was wicked Zoe and Roxy who robbed the Kabin, and that they are bullying Gemma for reporting them, she and Norris hit upon a plan.
The pair are determined to put a stop to the vicious campaign against blameless Gemma, so they decide to put the frighteners on the girls using Rosie. Channelling her showbiz experience, Rosie poses as Gemma’s lawyer, and threatens to take Zoe and Roxy to court and prosecute them for cyber bullying! It’s certainly a step in the right direction – though the next day, Gemma spots the signs in Rita that give her concern.
“Jenny has a bridesmaid’s dress fitting for Gemma,
Rita and Kate, and it ends in disaster,” explains our mole. “There’s a coffee incident that means the dressmaker has a huge job on her hands to rescue the dresses, and Rita is the person responsible. It’s a stressful situation, and Gemma worries about the effect it’s having on her friend. Rita ends up going home and setting a place for Len at the table – and Len died in 1983!”
Although she’s no expert, Gemma believe these actions
Rita sets a place for Len at the table – and Len died in 1983!”
could be caused by dementia, and frets about Rita’s health. She confides her fears to Rosie, who is also deeply troubled by the idea that her beloved Rita could be ill. However, the girls are unwilling to alarm Rita for no good reason, and – hoping it may just be a blip – they decide to keep quiet for the moment. Yet as Rita continues to behave erratically, are Gemma and Rosie right to be worried?