Coronation Street fans were in bits as Toyah Battersby said a tearful goodbye to her foster daughter Elsie. The cute four-year-old was driven away by a social worker after Toyah had her dreams of becoming a mother cruelly dashed.
The soap counsellor was in floods of tears after Elsie was taken away from her to start a new life at a new forever home. She stayed strong for long enough to tell Elsie that she was much-loved by Toyah and her ex Imran Habeeb.
"We have loved having you living with us, me and Imran. And your new mummy and daddy are going to love you just as much as we do," she told Elsie through the car window as the social worker waited to whisk her away. She then told the little girl to be 'brave' and 'be good.'
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Toyah had been planning to adopt Elsie with smarmy solicitor Imran. But ahead of the all-important adoption hearing she discovered that he had cheated on her with drug addict neighbour Abi Franklin, resulting in a the surprise birth of a baby boy named Alfie.
Toyah told the social worker that she couldn't go through with the adoption with Imran for Elsie's sake. "I can't risk you hurting her too," she said. And she told him: "That's what you do. That's what you are. You're a liar."
She later decided that she wanted to adopt Elsie on her own. But the social worker turned her down and said it wouldn't be in Elsie's 'best interests' while Toyah is going through a split.
Corrie fans took to Twitter to slam the 'brutal' goodbye. @alisonsdani tweeted: "Awww Toyah." And @Charlotte_K13 fumed: "I absolutely hate what #Corrie have done to Toyah and Imran."
@BnmPlanet said: "It is heart breaking to see Toyah in bits saying good bye to Elsie. One night stand has shattered so many lives."
@JamieTVandNews demanded: "Corrie, can you stop being brutal to all these characters today?" and @mikepriestley13 complained: "I feel so sorry for Toyah.. why couldn’t she adopted Elsie on her own. They said 'Toyah is going through so much' maybe but it doesn’t mean she wouldn’t of been a great mum for Elsie because Toyah would have."
@ZoeTheReturn asked: "Would social services really do that? One minute Toyah and Imran were adopting and then they’re not. Single parents are allowed to adopt! Not in Elsie’s best interests IMO." And @fussyMcWhiskers begged: "I love Elsie. Don't take her away from Toyah - she's had too much disruption in her life already."
Then there was more upset as a devastated Toyah hit the wine and went to see Imran at his office. She was comforted by Adam Barlow, and just as Imran walked in he caught Toyah making a drunken pass at Adam and planting a kiss on his colleague.
On Wednesday Imran has a bombshell for Toyah. When Abi turns down moving in with him he decides to fight dirty. Imran hears Abi is now in possession of a bottle of morphine. She confiscated from grieving teen Kelly Neelan following the death of her mum Laura. He shares his feared with Toyan and tells her that he intends to fight for custody of Alfie and he would love her to help him raise his son, as a family.
