Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) has got himself in quite a mess. After agreeing to the idea of reuniting with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), he received a visit from a man called Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill), who turned out to be his husband.

Kev and Robert met in prison. At the time, Robert was being attacked by a group of inmates for his sexuality. He needed some sort of protection, and Kev turned out to be the one who provided it.

Due to the fact Robert was under the impression he’d be spending over 10 years behind bars, he started to create a new life for himself to try and cope. This involved starting a relationship with Kev, and then marrying him.

It’s also important to note that Kev has quite a bit of money to his name and doesn’t have long left to live. It means that if Robert stays with Kev until he dies, he will inherit the cash.

A pretty strong driving force to not end the relationship – not that Robert would ever admit this.

Yesterday, Robert spent the night at Aaron’s flat. He hadn’t been back to the place since the ordeal with John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), and asked Robert to stay as he didn’t feel comfortable on his own.

Aaron spent a portion of the evening sorting some belongings out as he couldn’t sleep. As Robert looked through the box in the morning, he found an old teddy that belonged to Liv.

Aaron then confirmed the anniversary of her death was approaching, and agreed to Robert’s idea of doing something to mark her memory.

Unfortunately, Robert double booked himself and realised he wouldn’t be able to attend, as he was visiting Kev. A quick excuse made, he headed to the prison to see his husband – who had some unexpected news.

Kev told Robert that he’s being released from prison due to not being a threat, having a terminal illness, and the station needing the cell for someone else. He was absolutely stunned, and quickly had to carry the conversation on so Kev didn’t grow suspicious of his reaction.

Kev revealed that due to his conditions, he won’t be allowed to move in with Robert. He said that he’s joined an outreach programme and will be moving in with Charles Anderson and his mum Claudette (Kevin Mathurin and Flo Wilson).

Put simply, this is an absolutely nightmare for Robert. Kev is being released on Monday and when he arrives in the village, Robert will have to try and continue the relationship with Kev, all while keeping Aaron in the dark about his existence, and pursuing their journey together.

It’s an awful lot, but the juggling of two lives may not last much longer, as upcoming episodes will see Robert kiss Kev outside the pub – and the entire thing will be witnessed by Aaron.

Discussing what happens next, Ryan Hawley said: ‘It’s going to be explosive. Aaron thinks he and Robert are on the path that they both think they were always intended to be on, all the drama’s behind them, there’s no John any more and they can carry on their lives as they both hope and plan to do.

‘Then out of nowhere there’s this guy who turns up and he’s his old cell mate, and the next thing he sees is them kissing round the back of the Woolpack. So not only has he been lied to after everything else that’s happened, Robert’s half brother has also lied to him, so it’s a lot for Aaron to take in I would imagine.’

Reflecting on Kev’s arrival, Ryan added: ‘He’s a big obstacle and something very different and volatile. Dangerous not in a calculated way like John was. Unhinged and unpredictable, in a reactionary kind of way. He’s something very different. Also he’s redeemable, you kind of feel sorry for him.

‘You don’t want to break his heart – I don’t think Robert wants to break his heart. Robert doesn’t want to betray Kev, Robert has deep feelings for him that aren’t just of gratitude, they’re very complicated.’