But is he being truthful about why he's back?
There is a surprise in store for more than one Coronation Street resident on Wednesday 9th October, when a familiar face arrives back on the cobbles.
Jesse Chadwick, played by comedian and actor John Thomson, rolls into town just as his ex Eileen Grimshaw returns to Weatherfied from Thailand.
Stunned to see him, Eileen is even more shocked when she discovers he has not come to see her, and is looking for her neighbour and nemesis Gail Rodwell.
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.
Having heard about Gail’s granddaughter Bethany’s Turkish cosmetic surgery nightmare, Jesse, worried about his friend, decides to pay a visit.
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?
Speaking about how Jesse has changed ahead of his Corrie return, John Thomson said "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."
On what brings Jesse back to Weatherfield, he said "When Jesse left he’d been spreading his bets over two sisters, which is slightly morally bankrupt to say the least. He’s changed dramatically because he’s very remorseful for that behaviour, so for him to think that Eileen would even contemplate having him back after he made a play for her sister is not on his radar. I don't think the new Jesse could possibly entertain that there would ever be anything with Eileen again because of his actions in the past."
"He met Gail in Thailand, he's heard about Bethany and he’s very worried. So on his travels he’s returned via Weatherfield to check on Gail, because they've stayed in touch via email. He’s heard all about Bethany and he’s very concerned for Gail."
And peaking about how the Platts react to his return, John said "So two like him and two hate him! Shona and Nick are prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, whereas David and Sarah are absolutely not, it’s just total mistrust from the start. There is the thinking that they need a decent man in their lives, but as soon as David lists all Gail’s previous it's no wonder that there is a mistrust, because Gail’s sense of judgement over men has been very poor."
"Really Shona and Nick are very generous in their offer to wipe the slate clean and see what Jesse might be like given Gail's history. Jesse’s going to have to work really hard to get David and Sarah on his side and see he is just a friend who cares about Gail because there's a real sense of mistrust about his motives."
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1
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