Coronation Street character Oliver Battersby is expected to die before Christmas, a television boss has confirmed.
The three year old toddler is battling a mitochondrial condition in the ITV storyline which has left him on life support.
While parents Leanne (Jane Danson) and Steve (Simon Gregson) rally around their son, they also face a legal fight about whether it would be kinder to stop treatment and let him die.
According to the head of ITV, Kevin Lygo, Oliver's mum Leanne will be grief stricken as she comes to terms with the loss of her young son by the end of the year.
Speaking at a preview of ITV's Christmas schedule, the television boss teased that there will be several dramatic storylines that will unravel by next month.
"As ever, Christmas is always a dramatic time in Soapland and we'll have Coronation Street and Emmerdale at the centrepiece of our seasonal offerings," Lygo said, according to The Sun.
"On Corrie, David and Shona Platt look back to put the troubles of the past behind them and vow to get their marriage back on track.
"After Oliver's death, Leanne's grief is heightened as she watches Nick play happy families with his new-found son.
"And Todd Grimshaw is determined to win back his ex, Billy, and plots to break up Paul and Billy."
The heartbreaking news comes just days after actress Jane - who plays Oliver's on-screen mum - opened up about taking on the 'challenging' story line.
"It's been overwhelming really, we've been discussing this storyline for quite some time," said Jane while speaking on Lorraine.
"And even though across the years I have had so many wonderful stories, this has felt like the most important, certainly the most challenging.
Jane went on to reveal that parts of the script had even made her cry as she acted out the heartbreaking scenes.
The Coronation Street actress also explained that the cast had worked closely with the Lily Foundation in a bid to get this story line right.
She added: "We've worked really closely with the Lily Foundation, a lovely lady called Liz Curtis who lost her baby at eight months old, little Lily.
"It pulls on your heartstrings anyway, but as a parent it feels overwhelming.
"The scripts are so wonderful, it's hard not to cry, the last few weeks have been really tough, and the next couple weeks on screen are quite full on.
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