(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street confirms Cold Feet star's return to cobbles in Gail Platt exit after 14 years
by Jessica Sansome · Manchester Evening NewsCoronation Street has confirmed that John Thomson will be returning to the cobbles after 14 years away. The Cold Feet star will reprise the role of Jesse Chadwick in the ITV soap after Sean Wilson's plan to return as Martin Platt as part of Gail Platt's exit storyline was changed due to 'personal reasons'.
It'll be a surprise to many when Jesse rolls into town early next month, just as his ex Eileen Grimshaw returns to Weatherfied from Thailand. She is stunned to see him, but even more shocked when she discovers he has not come to see her, and is looking for her neighbour and nemesis Gail.
And the surprises keep coming when Gail and Jesse reveal that they met each other when Gail was travelling a few years ago and have kept in touch.
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Jesse's return comes after he has heard about Gail’s granddaughter Bethany Platt' Turkish cosmetic surgery nightmare and, worried about his friend, took it upon himself to pay her a visit in person.
But is there more to Gail and Jesse’s friendship than meets the eye and is he being entirely truthful about his reasons for getting back in touch? Knowing Jesse’s past history with Eileen, Gail’s family are understandably suspicious of his motives, and with Gail clearly delighted to be reunited with her travelling buddy it looks like there will be more conflict on the cobbles.
Children’s entertainer Jesse first arrived in Weatherfield in 2008 and started a relationship with Eileen in 2009. In 2010 Jesse had a big win at the bookies. Eileen hoped he would treat her, but he splashed out the money on a holiday for him and his parents and a furious Eileen told him to leave.
Jesse later returned and, believing that there wasn't a future for him and Eileen, he attempted to make a pass at her half-sister Julie Carp. A shocked Julie told Eileen just as she decided to get back with Jesse. Eileen and Julie gave him his belongings and chased him out of the Rovers, after which he left the area for good.
How will Eileen feel about the focus of Jesse's attention now being on Gail and how will her partner George Shuttleworth deal with Eileen’s ex being back on the scene?
(Image: ITV)
Viewers can see Jesse arrive in Coronation Street on Wednesday, October 9, and speaking about getting the call to come back, John said: "I was really happy to get the call, it was always a case of never say never, but it came in between jobs for me so the timing was perfect. I have a young daughter so I don’t like to travel too far from home and although the last time I was in the show was 15 years ago it has felt like meeting up with an old friend you haven’t seen for a long time and the years just melt away."
Speaking about how Jesse has changed over the years, the actor shared: "He always had a bit of a cowboy, country and western type look, his name is Jesse James Chadwick. But he’s smartened himself up a bit now, his look has changed and I’ve got rid of those boots that really hurt me so that’s a relief!
"He’s still got a great sense of humour though and there’s some nice comedy to be played. It's a joy to be given stuff that's sometimes dramatic and sometimes humorous, it's really nice to get to play both sides."
Asked what he's been up to see Corrie viewers last saw him, John revealed: "Well he did remarry, but that didn’t work out. He was also badly let down by a friend which culminated in him being left in some dire circumstances. So as a means to reinvent himself he started to travel the world to, as they say, find himself."