Eileen & Gail have a funeral feud
THE LADIES GO BACK TO WAR, AND POOR GEORGE IS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE…
Sworn enemies Gail and Eileen have a spectacular fall-out at Ted Page’s funeral this week, to undertaker George’s horror.
Tensions rise when George agrees to let Streetcars handle driving the hearse as part of Eileen’s potential new business plan. He’s doing it as a favour to Eileen, who he’s grown fond of in recent weeks, and agrees to let Tim take the wheel. However, when a last-minute hiccup means that Tim is indisposed, Eileen steps up to don the driver’s cap and gets into position. But once Gail sees her, she kicks off.
“To be fair to Gail, nobody would want their oldest enemy driving their late father’s hearse,” muses our Coronation Street insider. “But the main reason she’s so annoyed is that she and Eileen are at each other’s throats over George. The poor man has already had a taste of how nasty their arguments can get – but Gail and Eileen are about to take things to a new level.”
The question of who will drive Ted’s hearse is already the source of conflict before
Gail becomes involved. Steve is feeling put out that Eileen recommended Tim, not him, and the two men both try out for the job. It turns out that driving such a big vehicle isn’t quite as straightforward as either of them thought, with Steve giving George a terrifying experience during his trial. But on the day of the funeral, Tim’s nerves fail him, so Eileen is forced to step in. Unfortunately for George, her presence only causes huge drama. In fact, Eileen messes up so badly that Gail accuses her of ruining the solemn occasion, leading George to tell Eileen that he wants nothing more to do with her.
“George is absolutely furious!” exclaims our snitch. “This is his professional reputation, the thing that he and dad Archie have spent decades building up. For Eileen to be so reckless is unforgivable, and George can’t believe she could do that to him. It’s the worst kind of public humiliation, and it could destroy his business.”
Eileen is devastated after her dressing-down from George. Not only does she feel awful
“George can’t believe Eileen could be so reckless!”
for what happened, but she knows it could be curtains for their relationship before it’s even begun. After Eileen’s heartfelt apology the next day, it looks as if George could be cooling down – till another incident kicks off! Eileen can’t help but take the mickey after Gail attempts to get George involved in some more family tree research. When her comments spark yet another full-blown argument between the pair, George loses it and demands they both shut up. Will he speak to either of them again?