Coronation Street fans were left stunned this week when Trisha Pinkerton (played by Anita Booth) reappeared in Weatherfield, sparking a disturbing and emotional storyline involving Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine). What began as an innocent reunion between old acquaintances quickly took a dark and uncomfortable turn — one that forced Tim to confront a traumatic event from his past that he’s long misunderstood.

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Who Is Trisha Pinkerton?

Trisha Pinkerton is an old acquaintance of Tim’s who re-entered his life during his cab shift. Played by Holby City and Doctors actress Anita Booth, Trisha at first appeared to be a harmless blast from the past.

When Tim picked her up during a routine taxi job, it was clear she recognised him immediately. After chatting, Tim realised that Trisha was a woman he knew as a teenager — and someone he once looked up to.

Excited by the reunion, Tim told his wife Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor) that Trisha was “an old girlfriend,” which understandably caused tension on what was supposed to be their wedding anniversary.

However, as the details of their past began to surface, Sally — and later Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) — quickly realised that what Tim had described wasn’t a teenage romance at all. It was something far more serious.

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What Did Trisha Do to Tim?

In a later scene at the pub, Tim told Brian that he’d “lost his virginity” to Trisha when he was just 14 years old — while she was 20.

While Tim spoke about it with misplaced pride, recalling that it made him “popular with his mates,” Brian was visibly horrified. He gently explained to Tim that what had happened wasn’t a teenage fling — it was sexual abuse.

Because Tim was a minor at the time, and Trisha was an adult, the relationship was illegal and exploitative. Despite this, Tim struggled to see it that way, insisting it “was different” back then.

Brian tried to help Tim understand the reality of the situation by asking how he would feel if his daughter Faye had told him she was sleeping with a much older man as a teen. But Tim brushed off the comparison, saying, “That’s different — she’s a girl.”

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Sally and Brian Try to Help Tim Understand

Upcoming episodes will see Sally and Brian both try to help Tim come to terms with what really happened — and to recognise that he was groomed as a teenager.

Sally, initially angry that Tim had met up with another woman, softens when she learns the truth about who Trisha really is. Her concern turns to heartbreak as she realises her husband has been carrying buried trauma for decades without ever realising it.

The storyline is set to explore male sexual abuse, victim denial, and how societal attitudes from the past have prevented many men from recognising or discussing their experiences.

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Who Plays Trisha Pinkerton?

Actress Anita Booth takes on the role of Trisha. She’s appeared in numerous British TV dramas, including:

• Holby City

• Doctors

• DCI Banks

• A Teacher’s Gift (as Miriam)

Interestingly, this isn’t Booth’s first Coronation Street appearance — she previously played Nadine, one of a group of hauliers’ wives who had lunch at Nick’s Bistro back in 2012.

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A Sensitive and Timely Storyline

The Coronation Street team has confirmed that the Tim and Trisha storyline is part of a wider effort to shed light on male survivors of sexual abuse — an issue that is rarely addressed in mainstream soaps.

Fans have praised the show for tackling such a complex and sensitive topic, while Joe Duttine’s understated performance as Tim has been widely praised for its realism and vulnerability.

As Sally and Brian continue to gently push Tim toward understanding that he was a victim, viewers can expect more emotional scenes ahead as he begins to process a painful truth from his past.