Coronation Street may have revealed what Rowan Cunliffe is really up to, and why he's targeting Leanne Battersby.
The character was revealed to be hiding something from her on Friday, as he continued to push her towards his self-improvement institute. Not only that, but he pulled her away from husband Nick Tilsley and even her sister Toyah Battersby during her time of need.
Rowan encouraged Leanne to open up about her past and the trauma she has faced, using his tools and guiding her to speak aloud about parts of her life. Not only that, but he reeled her in more and more into believing he was an expert in this field, while also telling her not to take on the problems of anyone else.
Leanne poured her heart out about her past, including her time working as an escort, while she also discussed the loss of her young son Oliver. Leanne spoke of being judged, while also believing she was being punished for the things she had done.
Rowan knew all the right things to say to comfort her, but to also make her think his tools were working and helping her and her mindset. He claimed by using his uploading tools and reality coding, she would banish her trauma and create positivity.
Of course when this appeared to work, she praised Rowan and shared plans to do more of what he says. Not only that but later on in the episode, she even interrupted her sister Toyah who was about to confide in her about something, before telling her she didn't want to hear it.
Prior to this, Rowan waited for Leanne to step away, before it was revealed he was recording everything she was saying without her knowledge. He ended the recording, and on his phone it showed viewers that there were numerous other voice recordings all labelled as 'Home'.
Weirdly, they were all recorded the day before, and then he was shown saving Leanne's own recording. It wasn't clear whether any of the other recordings were from Leanne or their conversations they had across the week.
It seemed that Rowan had recorded other people though, and possibly recorded sessions with other people all in the same day, with around seven recordings in total. So what exactly is Rowan up to, and what does he plan to do with Leanne's quotes?
Viewers predicted he wasn't genuine, and wasn't listening to her for support but instead to blackmail her out of her money. Viewers questioned whether he would later use the information she told him, all recorded, against her.
One fan posted: "Perhaps that Rowan will blackmail Leanne with the info she 'uploads' to him," as another agreed: "Rowan: tell me all your secrets. Non-one is listening but I might blackmail you about them later." A third fan said: "I think Rowan gets people to tell them secrets about their lives and blackmails them," as a fourth asked: "Is idiot Rowan going to use whatever Leanne is telling him against her at some point?"
Rowan actor Emrhys Cooper recently told The Mirror about what was ahead, and why Rowan was targeting Leanne. He spilled: "He can see people that are more susceptible. He can definitely see that Leanne is packing a lot, and he knows the right buttons to press. It's going to be interesting to see what he does. [Fans should] keep an eye on what he's gonna get up to."
On Rowan's involvement in the organisation, the actor went on: "It's been brilliant for him, and he credits the organisation with totally turning his life around. He was a wild lad in his youth, and when he got into a fight and was arrested he resolved to change course. It was joining Autovalent that saved him."
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