BEWARE THE BUNNY BOILER!

Eva Price will stop at nothing to punish her cheating lover and her best friend, says the actress who plays her in Corrie

Wa tch out Weatherfield! Pregnant Eva Price is on a mission to destroy the lives of her lover and her best friend for having an affair behind her back.

Aidan and Maria Connor won’t know what’s hit them, according to Cath Tyldesley, who plays Eva. ‘She reverts back to Eva the Diva. Aidan was her Prince Charming, but now she wants to hurt him as much as she’s hurting.’

Eva’s anguish is compounded by the fact she’s expecting Aidan’s child. ‘Previously, being pregnant would have been all she’s ever wanted,’ says Cath. ‘Her goal was to meet her prince, settle down and have a family but now she’s discovered this.’

Cath points out that Eva already had trust issues. ‘Every boyfriend she’s had has cheated on her and her father left when she was a toddler,’ she says. ‘The bunny-boiler gene has been lying dormant for a while.’

Maria is also in Eva’s sights. ‘Eva’s often told Maria about the girl rule, where you don’t go with someone else’s boyfriend or ex-boyfriend,’ says Cath, 33, who’s played Eva since 2011. ‘So her best friend doing this to her is a big no-no. There are lots of opportunities for Eva to hurt Maria.’

The storyline will involve Eva pretending she knows nothing of the affair. ‘She’s on the verge of a panic attack in most scenes because she has to lie,’ says Cath. ‘Aidan’s unaware and still wants to be intimate. It makes her feel sick.’

Eva finds a co-conspirator in Adam Barlow, who hates Aidan for taking what he sees as his share in the Underworld factory. ‘Adam tells Eva that if they work together they’ll get more

than she would on her own. He’s charming and twists her arm.’

To find out what they’re plotting, viewers will have to tune in over the coming weeks. ‘I was scared to turn each page of the script,’ says Cath. ‘I couldn’t put it down – it’s juicy stuff.’

It’s also very awkward as Cath is close to Samia Longchambon and Shayne Ward, who play Maria and Aidan. ‘It’s awful,’ says Cath. ‘I keep grabbing hold of them after takes and going, “I’m sorry, love you!”’

Out of the spotlight, Cath’s happily

in love with her husband Tom Pitfield. She jokes she’s been ‘an emotional wreck’ since their two-year-old son Alfie was born, which has helped her play the highly charged scenes.

But Tom shouldn’t be too worried if he ever gets on the wrong side of Cath. ‘If Eva asked me for advice I’d say walk away, have an amazing life and show Aidan what he’s missing,’ she says. ‘The things she’s planning are bound to backfire, but I think this will make her stronger.’