Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Ed Bailey has told a huge lie following his family's Christmas presents being stolen in Coronation Street.
In recent months, Ed has fallen back into his gambling addiction and accumulated massive debts after borrowing money from his friend Tony.
The desperate situation came to a head in Friday's (December 22) episode when Tony confronted Ed to demand all of the money back.
An ill-timed phone call from Aggie was the perfect opportunity for Tony to tell her all about what her husband had done – but Ed reached to stop his friend from taking the phone.
Tony responded by punching Ed in the face, then ordered him to gather up all of the family's Christmas presents from under the tree.
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Tony gave Ed the option of telling his family about his debts or cashing in on their Christmas gifts at the pawnbroker to pay him off. Ed felt he had no choice but to sell off the gifts.
Later, the Baileys returned home to find Ed with a cut lip and all of their presents gone. Dee-Dee Bailey initially assumed the house had been burgled, and rather than come clean, Ed went along with her theory.
Weatherfield PD detective Craig Tinker was later shown interviewing the family about the theft, as Ed spun a tall tale about accidentally leaving the back door open.
Michael and Sarge rallied around Ed, assuring him this wasn't his fault – though Ed could barely contain himself due to the self-loathing behind his lies.
"I ruined everything," he told his children.
Dee-Dee only made him feel worse by announcing that there was one gift the burglars didn't steal – Ed's! Ed will be forced to confront the truth in scenes over the Christmas period, leading to a massive falling out with his family.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
The National Gambling Treatment Service offers free, confidential help for anyone who is worried about their gambling, or someone else's gambling. Call the 24-hour freephone National Gambling Helpline on 0808 802 0133, or visit begambleaware.org. Further information and resources can be found on the Gambling Commission's website.
