Peter & Carla’s wedding – but will he live long enough to say “I do”?
CARLA GETS SET TO BECOME MRS BARLOW AGAIN – BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR PETER…
Peter and Carla commit to spending the rest of their lives together this week, as the pair prepare to marry for the second time in a small and intimate wedding ceremony.
However, with alcoholic Peter’s health deteriorating by the hour while he awaits a liver transplant, it sadly looks as though the groomto-be won’t make it to the register office before tragedy strikes…
“Carla gives Peter the opportunity more than once to postpone the wedding, and tells him she will always be there for him – married or not,” reveals actress Alison King, who plays her. “But at the back of Peter’s mind, he thinks that he might die and never get the chance to marry Carla. He makes it clear to her that this is what he wants.”
Affair shock!
In the lead-up to their big day, Peter anxiously heads to an appointment with the hospital’s transplant centre, to assess whether he is a suitable candidate for a new liver. It’s a huge moment for the Barlows as they pray for a breakthrough in Peter’s recovery, prompting the family to discuss what happens next over a video call.
During the call, Daniel notices that Carla is acting strangely, and accuses her of cheating on Peter with Lucas – in front of the whole family! However, the truth of the matter is that Carla is struggling with the burden of knowing about the latest developments in Simon and Leanne’s drugs drama, which she has kept Peter in the dark about.
“I understand why Carla does that, as she feels the stress of Peter knowing what his son is mixed up in is too much for him to take on,” explains Alison. “One of the reasons she doesn’t tell Peter is that his meeting concerning the transplant is coming up, and Carla doesn’t want anything to delay that.
“As for Daniel accusing Carla of being unfaithful, she doesn’t understand where it’s all coming from,” adds the star. “Carla has done everything to show that she wants to stand by Peter when, let’s face it, no one could have blamed her for walking away. And if you think about what happened between Carla and Adam, she’s unlikely to make that sort of mistake again.”
In sickness and in health…
As Carla is hauled over the coals for her supposed affair, she must decide whether to fess up to Peter about Simon.
Meanwhile, Peter informs the Barlows that he’s planning a small hotel wedding for him and Carla, and that he doesn’t wish for the family to attend.
“When Peter says that he wants a small wedding, Carla thinks, ‘Great – that’s perfect,’” shares Alison. “With everything they’ve had to cope with recently, the last thing they need is more pressure!”
Nevertheless, as the special day arrives, Peter is clearly a very ill man – and when Daniel catches sight of him, he implores his brother to postpone the wedding. However, Peter is having none of it and, after a heart-to-heart prompts Daniel to recall losing his wife Sinead so soon after their wedding, Peter’s more determined than ever to go through with the service and make Carla his wife.
Groom or doom?
With that, he insists that Daniel accompany him to the register office as his best man, while Carla emerges from the café in her wedding dress, having asked Roy to give her away.
Meanwhile, with all the fight that he has left, Peter stumbles up the aisle to meet his bride…
“Daniel wants to get Peter to the hospital urgently, but Carla knows how much Peter wants to get married – so they go
ahead with getting him to the hotel,” shares Alison. “Peter is so poorly, though, and as Carla starts to say her vows, it looks very unlikely that they are going to get their happy ending after all…”
Will Carla and Peter end the day as man and wife, with Peter hanging on long enough to receive his liver transplant? Or will fate deal them a cruel blow – and tear them apart forever?