The relationship between Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) and he partner’s mother Maggie Driscoll (Pauline McLynn) in Coronation Street is strained, to say the least. Domineering Maggie would probably disapprove of anyone her precious son was in a relationship with, but she has a special dislike of Eva.
This culminated in a massive and ugly showdown at Christmas when Maggie humiliated Eva in front of the family and their guests by revealing that she’d previously ended a pregnancy.
Eva explained that she’d thought she and Ben were split up at the time and she couldn’t cope with raising a baby on her own so she’d felt she had no choice.
Ben (Aaron McCusker) quickly took Eva’s side and temporarily threw Maggie out of the pub. Relations have thawed a little since then, but it’s safe to say that Maggie and Eva will never be friends.
Unfortunately Eva seems stuck with Maggie because, as well as being Ben’s mum she is also part owner of the Rovers. Ben wasn’t able to raise all the cash he needed to buy the pub, so Maggie bailed him out – and has made sure that Eva hasn’t been able to forget this by swanning around and acting the role of landlady ever since.
So in upcoming episodes when Eva’s sister Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) says she feels stuck in a rut in her present role at Speed Daal, Eva sees a way to kill two birds with one stone. She suggests that Leanne could sell her share of Speed Daal and buy Maggie’s share of the Rovers instead.
Leanne loves the idea of working alongside her sister and being a part of the Rovers so she wastes no time in going to see Maggie and proposing to buy her out.
Knowing that Maggie won’t react well if she knows it was her idea, Eva acts as if she’s surprised by Leanne’s proposition, but Maggie sees straight through her and accuses her of plotting with Leanne to get rid of her from the pub.
Soon the two women are engaged in a slanging match as they argue about Maggie selling her share of the pub. Poor Ben can’t cope with all the stress and heads out to deal with a beer delivery – but he’s soon feeling ill with chest pains as it all gets too much.
He’s not the only on in pain, as Maggie has taken a bit of a tumble in the pub. Leanne has made a firm offer of £160,000 to buy her out, but Maggie turns her down flat.
As she prepares to do some dramatic flouncing, Maggie trips over the strap of Leanne’s bag which has become caught around a bar stool and she goes flying.
Has Maggie hurt more than her pride?
