Maria is having Gary’s baby
AS MARIA DISCOVERS THAT SHE IS PREGNANT WITH GARY’S CHILD, ACTRESS SAMIA LONGCHAMBON ISN’T CONVINCED THEY CAN PLAY HAPPY FAMILIES…
It’s fair to assume that, as Maria set about bagging a new man just a few weeks ago, she perhaps didn’t picture more kids in her future quite this soon. So when the stunned woman discovers she’s having Gary’s baby, it’s a real shock!
Yet that’s nothing compared with the thunderbolt Maria is in for when she inevitably learns her man is a killer loan shark – aka the Street’s new supervillain!
“Maria should just give up on love,” concludes Samia Longchambon, who plays her, as we despair over the cursed crimper’s terrible bad luck with men. “She’s tried it so many times with different guys – honestly, she’s better off on her own for a while. Although it’s great to play when it goes wrong, which is more fun for me than it is for Maria!”
When Gary learns that he is going to be a dad again this week, his response is for both him and Maria to look for a flat together, before handing her keys to a new motor. Now, we get that Maria may not be the sharpest pair of scissors in Audrey’s salon, but Gary’s grand gestures must seem a bit fishy to her, no?
“Maria is naive,” sighs Samia. “She thinks it’s a bit strange that everyone is warning her off Gary, but she dismisses it. Maria judges Gary on how he treats her, and he’s being really sweet. He definitely knows how to work her.”
The sad irony of Maria thinking she’s met Mr Right is that she had potentially found the fella of her dreams in dishy Dr Ali, who was ticking all the boxes until his personal troubles saw him end the relationship. But, with Ali seemingly back on track and still headover-heels for Maria, is there a chance that she still cares about him, too?
“I do think Maria has feelings for Ali deep down,” reckons Samia. “She does really like Gary, they have a lot in common and the more she sees in him, the more she likes. But Maria is throwing herself into this relationship with Gary and trying to make it work, as she knows that Ali is a bit of a mess. Gary seems like the safe bet – which couldn’t be further from the truth!
“Maria knows Ali still has feelings for her, so there is unfinished business there,” adds the star. “The chances of them living happily ever after were slim, as this is Maria that we’re talking about! But I think she and Ali would have been happy together.”
Sadly, however, Ali risks pushing Gary and Maria closer together after he tells her that her baby’s dad is a loan shark! When Ali hears that Maria and a baby stand to be hurt by Gary, he feels he has to warn her properly, despite the fact that Gary is blackmailing him over his addiction to prescription drugs. Will Maria finally realise she is sleeping with the enemy?
“When Ali confronts her with this new info, she can’t help but believe him,” reveals Samia. “Yet when Maria questions Gary about how he got all of his money, he has answers and tries to talk her round. It does begin to feel as if it’s them against everyone else.”
With reports suggesting that Christmas on the cobbles will end in bloodshed – and it’ll be down to Gary – Maria may regret who she’s chosen to kiss under the mistletoe this year.
“There are so many twists and turns in the story,” grins Samia. “Everything has been really fun and exciting to film. I got off lightly, though – Mikey North [Gary] did most of the work! It looked amazing and from what everyone else has said about the other Christmas scenes, they are going to be great!”
There are so many twists and turns in this story