Coronation Street viewers have been growing increasingly worried in recent weeks about what bosses have in store for Rita.
Of late she has become forgetful and disoriented – and there have been rumours she is showing signs of dementia.
Now The Sun on Sunday reports that the Street fave actually has a brain tumour – which will be diagnosed in October.
It states that Rita will refuse surgery to have it removed – risking her life.
The paper’s source said: “Doctors will say there is a serious risk she will die if they don’t remove it.
“But Rita is terrified that she could not know who she is, or recognise her friends.”
Noooo. How devastating.
Rita’s behaviour has declined apparently rapidly in the past month – and in Friday’s episode viewers saw her forget to go to Norris and Mary’s wedding.
She eventually arrived at the reception, looking dazed.
Norris was cross, but so far he – and no one else has noticed what’s amiss.
But this week coming, Gemma will start to question if her friend could have dementia.
At the start of the week, Rita and Gemma properly make up after that little theft accusation incident.
Rita is on hand to console Gemma after Zoe and Roxy prank her.
She’s gutted when a date turns up only to say she looks nothing like her picture – and realises her former mates have set her up.
Poor lass!
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Rita and Norris hatch a plot to get the mean girls back, convincing Rosie Webster to pretend to be a lawyer acting on behalf of Gemma and going after them for cyber terrorism.
It does the job – and Rita and Gemma bond again as they celebrate getting rid of the nasty estate bullies.
However, Rita grows confused when she goes to the washing machine to take out a load – and she finds she has already done it.
Later she spills coffee on Gemma’s bridesmaid’s dress and – most alarming of all – she sets a place at dinner for dead husband Len.
Having witnessed this, Gemma confides her fears in Rosie that Rita may have dementia, but will they broach this with their beloved friend?