Coronation Street fans are convinced they have worked out how Debbie Webster will meet her end next year, after a near-fatal accident on the cobbles this week.
Debbie (Sue Devaney), who first appeared on the ITV soap in 1984 as Kevin's (Michael Le Vell) sister, has been living with vascular dementia since her diagnosis in April 2025. The much-loved businesswoman has endured a turbulent 12 months, including a car crash in Corriedale and the revelation that Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard) is her biological son, not her brother.
Near-fatal toaster incident
In recent episodes, Debbie's dementia has deteriorated. This week, she placed herself in serious danger when, after making toast, she grew frustrated and began poking a knife into the toaster. Her husband Ronnie intervened just in time, wrenching the plug from the socket.
Despite this, Debbie felt Ronnie was being condescending towards her. Later, he spoke with Asha Alahan (Tanisha Gorey) about looking after Debbie, and she encouraged him to attend a dementia support group on his own.
Echoes of Lesley Kershaw's death
The incident echoes a tragic event from May 2012, when former character Lesley Kershaw (Judy Holt) fatally electrocuted herself with a toaster. Like Debbie, Lesley had been living with vascular dementia.
Viewers now feel the soap has been dropping hints about Debbie's impending demise. On a Coronation Street Facebook fan page, one person asked: "Do we think Debbie will end up in some sort of accident and die? Like when she just nearly electrocuted herself?"
Fans react and exit timeline revealed
Others agreed, with a second commenting: "So sad, but I can see something like that happening." Another fan added: "Same here." While a fourth person wrote: "I hope not!"
Earlier this year, Jonathan Howard spoke to The Sun about Debbie's exit. He said: "Sue is contracted to August, but already they are ramping up the dementia storyline. It's going to be very sad, so sad, I love Sue so much. I'm so happy she gets to play my mum and I get to play her son."
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
