Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street star Rachel Leskovac has spoken about Natasha Blakeman's secret son storyline for the first time.
Friday night's hour-long episode (September 11) saw Natasha reappear on the show for the first time in ten years, as viewers discovered that she has a son and Nick Tilsley is the father.
Nick became suspicious over what Natasha was hiding when he overheard a conversation she was having at the hospital.
Future episodes will explore the aftermath of this discovery – and how it affects Nick's relationship with Leanne Battersby, who's struggling with her son Oliver's life-limiting illness.
Related: Coronation Street – who is Natasha Blakeman and why is she back?
Speaking to Digital Spy and other media in a recent press call, Rachel was asked why Natasha has never told Nick about his son, Sam.
She replied: "Given the fact that it was very clear that Nick was not interested in having a relationship with her, as he still had feelings for Leanne, she was obviously really upset.
"She was also devastated with having gone through an abortion, and there is all that emotional attachment to Nick.
"Maybe she just made her mind up that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore at that point. Maybe it was too sensitive and she didn't want to deal with it emotionally and didn't have to relay that information to Sam.
"I guess time passes and more time passes. Sam is nine and as fate would have it, they've seen each other and met and it all snowballs from there. Perhaps there was an element of not wanting to."
Related: Coronation Street star Mark Frost reacts to big Ray Crosby and David Platt twist
Asked whether Natasha is interested in a reunion with Nick, Rachel replied: "No, and it's funny because everyone on Twitter – especially the fans of Nick and Leanne – are worried that she has come in to break them up and that's not it at all.
"Nick is going through a horrendous time with everything that's happening with Oliver and Leanne – and he is backed into a corner emotionally. What does he do?
"Natasha is very cautious. It is suggested that she's had other relationships with other men before, but this is different because it's her son's father and therefore she is very cautious about them meeting. She makes it clear that if Nick is going to have a relationship with him, then it needs to be for keeps. That is how she puts it.
"Her priority is Sam and what emotional impact that will have on him, as opposed to other boyfriends she might have had in the past. Sam is her priority and she's trying to do the right thing by him. As the story unfolds, it's all very sensitive.
Related: Coronation Street star Mark Frost promises secret ally twist for Ray Crosby
"You can imagine Leanne's initial reaction to Natasha being on the scene is suspicion – is he Nick's real son and does Natasha want to steal him back?
"But it's that thing of being a parent – there is an unspoken understanding. It's your worst nightmare to lose a child or have a child be ill. Hopefully that will come across from mother to mother.
"Natasha makes it clear to Nick that there can't be an in-between with Sam, but she is sensitive to the situation he's in. In terms of where we are story-wise, he will say he can't do this right now initially."
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.
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