Roy Cropper has never been the kind of man who goes looking for romance. But just when it seemed like his heart might finally be opening again, his new connection with a mystery woman named Alice takes a shocking turn, leaving one huge question hanging over Weatherfield: who exactly is Alice, and has Roy been played all along?
Roy’s Love Life Has Always Been Defined By Hayley
Everyone knows Roy’s one true love story was with Hayley Cropper, the woman who changed his life in every way. Their relationship became one of Coronation Street’s most emotional and cherished romances.
And when Hayley died from pancreatic cancer in 2014, it felt like the end of that chapter forever. Since then, the idea of Roy moving on has always seemed impossible to picture. That’s why this new storyline feels so surprising. Roy’s contact with Alice began after he started writing to prisoners, something he took on after his own ordeal.
After being wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Lauren Bolton, Roy understood better than most how isolating and damaging life behind bars can be. So he joined a pen-pal scheme to offer support. He never expected romance to come out of it.
But then Roy began receiving letters from a woman named Alice, who said she was the mother of one of the prisoners Roy had been communicating with. Their messages slowly turned into something warmer, and Roy found himself wondering whether Alice might be seeing the situation differently than he intended.
Roy Takes A Step Forward Then The Alice Mystery Explodes in Coronation Street
With Carla Connor also pushing him gently to embrace happiness and reminding him Hayley would want that for him, Roy finally decided not to shut the door on Alice.
Instead, he went for the connection. And next week, he even admits he has sent Alice a bouquet of flowers, showing he’s genuinely invested. But while Roy is letting himself feel hopeful, the show drops a massive red flag.
In Wednesday’s episode, viewers saw an unknown man with a beard looking through Roy’s chain of messages. He suggested Roy may not have been speaking to who he thought he was. Then the real shock hits. A man in his fifties arrives at the café and introduces himself as Mal and he claims he’s Alice’s husband. Roy is left completely stunned, because it instantly flips everything on its head. If Alice is married, what has Roy been involved in? And if Mal is the one reading the messages, was Roy actually texting him the whole time?
Some viewers have even leaned into wild crossover guesses, joking that Roy could be messaging Emmerdale’s Celia Daniels under a fake name. Other fans have suggested Alice could be someone Roy has met before. Or another Emmerdale villain could be involved, especially with Corrie newcomer Jodie Ramsay recently escaping the clutches of Dales’ big baddie Graham Foster. Nobody knows what happens next. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Coronation Street spoilers.