Carmel Finnan

Carmel Finnan is an antagonist in Coronation Street, who served as the main antagonist in late 1992 and early 1993.

She was portrayed by Catherine Cusack.

History[]

Carmel came from a small Irish community. She was born when her mother was fifteen and grew up thinking her grandparents were her parents and her mother was her older sister. When she learned the truth, she moved in with the family on the next door farm. However, she became obsessed with the husband, Michael, and claimed she was pregnant with his child. When it became clear nothing had happened between them, she spent time in a psychiatric hospital. She came out with a new determination to become a nurse.

Carmel was given a place at a training college in Weatherfield and moved into student halls there. She befriended Martin Platt and invented a new history for herself, claiming to come from a large family with lots of younger brothers and sisters, and reinventing Michael as a long-term boyfriend back home. Martin and his wife Gail began using her as a babysitter. She quickly bonded with the children, helping oldest son Nicky adapt to starting high school. Since the children's grandmother, Ivy Brennan, had developed a drink problem, Gail and Martin asked Carmel to stay and look after the children while they had a weekend away.

One night, Carmel rang Gail and Martin in a panic, saying she'd come face to face with a man who'd been prowling around the nursing home on her landing and had to hide in her room from him. They let her stay the night and ended up inviting her to stay with them until she could find a flat. Carmel seemed reluctant to move out: When Gail and her business partner Alma Baldwin offered her the flat above their cafe, she suddenly claimed she was looking for something larger to share with a group of friends. When Gail rang her to say she was staying late at work to do a stock take, Carmel misrepresented the message to Martin, saying Gail had simply said she might be working back and prompting an argument when Martin accused Gail of forcing Carmel to cancel her plans to look after the children. Gail began to feel pushed out by Carmel when she arrived home from work to find Carmel had sorted out the children's plans for the evening without consulting her.

Carmel announced that Michael wanted her to drop out of college and marry him and that she would have to go back to Ireland to sort it out. She gave contradictory accounts, telling Gail she wanted an equal marriage like she and Martin did, while telling their friend Sally Webster that she felt the pair's marriage would fall apart because of them both working. Sally became concerned when Carmel popped by to say goodbye to the PLatts' youngest son David and got Martin and Michael's names mixed up. Carmel returned and announced she'd broken up with Michael. She took David and his sister Sarah Louise to the Santa's grotto at Krazy Kuts where neighbour Percy Sugden overheard her claiming David (Martin's biological child) was hers and Sarah was from a previous marriage. When Gail questioned her about it, she said she knew the woman she was talking to would judge her if she said she was just a babysitter. She showed her true feelings by tearing Gail out of a photo of her and Martin.

When Martin spent the evening at a works Christmas party and Gail was called away to spend the night with her mother Audrey after her stepfather Alf Roberts was hospitalised with a suspected heart attack, Carmel saw her chance. She got into the pair's marital bed and, coming home drunk, Martin got in beside her thinking she was Gail. He was bewildered to wake up the following morning to find Carmel in his bedroom, acting as though it was normal. Carmel made it clear that she felt they should be together and insisted it was what Martin wanted. Martin kept what had happened from Gail but insisted Carmel had to move out, although she kept putting it off.

Carmel was supposed to go back to Ireland for Christmas but turned up at the Platts' on Christmas Day claiming she had rung home and found Michael was there. Don Brennan, who Martin had confided in, told Carmel he had a friend with a bedsit that she could move into. Martin was railroaded into letting Carmel accompany him and the children shopping, where she again pretended they were a couple and the children were theirs. Martin took her to the bedsit where Carmel tried to get him to sleep with her. Martin pushed her away and went home to pack her bags, telling Gail she was after him. When Carmel returned and calmly told Gail she was too old for Martin, Gail threw her out.

Two months later, Carmel turned up at the house while Martin and Gail were out. Unaware of the falling out, Ivy let her wait for them. When they returned, Carmel announced she was pregnant with Martin's child. Martin tried to point out it was impossible since they'd merely shared a bed but Carmel was adamant, even going to their lecturers to explain the supposed situation. Martin dropped out of college to get away from her, prompting Carmel to blame Gail.

Carmel went round Sally's when she was looking after David, claiming Gail had told her to take him to a party. Sally refused to let Carmel take him and she left in anger. When Gail found out, she went to warn Carmel off. Carmel brushed aside her concerns and begged her to let Martin be with her. Gail pulled away from Carmel and accidentally caused her to fall down the stairs. Carmel was taken to hospital with a broken leg but despite claiming to be three months pregnant, the doctors quickly determined she had never been pregnant. Martin confronted her but Carmel brushed aside her deception, saying they would have a baby one day. She then told the police that Gail had deliberately pushed her out of jealousy.

Carmel's grandfather John came to visit her and Carmel stuck to her story that she and Martin loved each other and were having an affair. John went to see Gail and Martin to get their side of the story and quickly realised history was repeating itself. He promised them that he would make sure the charges were dropped and Carmel would get help. He went back to the hospital and had Carmel's things packed. He gently told her he was taking her home, which she calmly accepted.

Villains Wiki

Carmel Finnan

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