Debbie devastated as she gets a glimpse of her bleak future on Coronation Street

Every Coronation Street fan knows deep down how Debbie Webster’s (Sue Devaney) heartbreaking battle with dementia ends. Now she’s confronted with a chilling vision of what’s to come.

In true Debbie Webster style, she has laughed in the face of dementia at every turn. Ever since her heartbreaking diagnosis, she has refused to let the condition compromise who she is or what she wants.

In spite of her condition, she’s continued to do her job as as owner and manager of the prestigious Chariot Square hotel. She’s sung in the dementia choir. She’s constantly getting into misadventures with her supportive Cobbles girl Squad, Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor), Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger), Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) and Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins) – better known as Debbie’s Angels.

The degenerative disease didn’t even stand in the way of Debbie’s big day, when she married the man of her dreams, Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan).

If anything, the dementia’s been a walk in the park compared to her conniving, money-grubbing, waste-of-skin son Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard). Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard). The man’s such a massive wrong’un that he thought nothing letting mother dearest take the rap for his dangerous driving that killed Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebannk) and let her go to jail in his place.

Even prison couldn’t dampen Debbie’s spirits completely, and she came out the other side smiling thanks to kindling a friendship with her fellow inmate and Coronation Street’s nightmare neighbour Lou Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty).

Unfortunately, Debbie’s time in prison took its toll. Her condition rapidly deteriorated, causing her to make mistakes at work and forget words.

In this week’s trip to the Cobbles, Debbie suffers another worrying symptom of her condition during a garden party with her friends, where she temporarily forgets who Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) is and accuses him of being a pervert.

This sobering realisation (literally) prompts Debbie to give up the booze to look after her brain, even if that means parting with her beloved large measure of voddie, famously favoured by Debs during times of great stress.

Unfortunately, in next week’s episodes, Debbie gets a very painful and personal reminder that no matter how hard she fights, sooner or later, the dementia will win.

Outside the Cafe, Debbie sees a woman called Sadie looking lost, searching for her daughter. She offers to help, but is taken aback when Sadie snaps at her.

However, Sadie is not just anyone. Because this is Soapland, and everyone in the Weatherfield postcode knows everyone else, she just so happens to be the mother of newcomer Sienna Milburn (Charlotte Tyree), who is currently embarking on a burgeoning romance with Asha Alahan (Tanesha Gorey).

Sienna rushes over to her Mum, worried for her safety.

But Sadie doesn’t recognise her and lashes out. Because she has dementia too.

When Asha arrives and tries to help, Sienna rejects her and gently leads her Mum away… while Debbie watches, horrified to realise that she’s watching a glimpse into her own future.

Now that Debbie’s been confronting by the awful truth about where her story must end, what will she do?