Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Gail Platt's exit storyline has officially begun in Coronation Street.
John Thomson made his return to the ITV1 soap earlier this week as Jesse Chadwick, one of Eileen Grimshaw's former love interests.
The iconic rivalry between Gail and Eileen was revisited when Jesse announced that he'd come back to Weatherfield to check on Gail, as they'd met in Thailand years earlier.
Jesse heard about all of the financial trouble Gail and the Platt family have found themselves in while bringing Bethany home from a Turkish hospital following a botched cosmetic procedure.
Related: Best streaming services 2024 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+
What to Read Next
Sarah and David discovered the extent of Jesse's connection with Gail in Friday's (October 11) episode, as he confessed he'd secretly been meeting up with their mum.
Jesse explained to the Platts that Gail's life-drawing classes were just a cover so they could spend time together in secret.
While Sarah and David were worried about the disruption Eileen and Jesse's past could cause for Gail, Jesse insisted he wouldn't leave Weatherfield unless Gail asked him to.
He caught up with old friend Steve McDonald, where he expressed hope that his holiday romance with Gail would become something permanent for both of them.
Steve encouraged Jesse to open up to Gail about how he felt – after all, there would never be a chance of the pair making a go of it if Gail didn't know the truth.
At the Rovers Return, Jesse followed Steve's advice by telling Gail how he'd hoped they could be together for real after leaving Thailand.
Jesse was gobsmacked that Gail was receptive to his romantic declaration. She brought him back to No.8 where she announced to her children that Jesse would be staying for dinner.
"Stop doing an impression of a guppy fish, David, and set a place for Jesse," she quipped.
The pair even shared a kiss, leaving Sarah and David baffled by how their mum had kept this major secret from them for so long.
Related: Coronation Street and Emmerdale announce huge change to new episode releases
After dinner, David complained about the optics of Gail bringing home a boyfriend during the crisis with Bethany.
"You've got to admit, the timing is impeccable," he joked.
Gail reminded her children that "there's never a right and a wrong time to fall in love", before revealing she and Jesse had been in love with each other for a long time.
"I just didn't have the courage to say [I loved him] until today," Gail declared.
John promised the Platts that he was "all in" on the relationship, though the new couple's good mood was dampened by Sarah's warning.
"You two are going to have to have eyes in the backs of your heads when it comes to Eileen," Sarah reminded the pair.
Gail then vowed: "You leave Eileen to me… Jesse makes me happy and that's a feeling I've almost forgotten. Get over yourselves and get on board!"
It won't be smooth sailing for the couple for long, as Jesse will soon be getting involved with Sarah's imprisoned ex-boyfriend Damon.
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
