Corrie fans in tears as Daniel mistakes Bethany for Sinead after getting hit by car

Coronation Street fans were left in tears tonight when Daniel mistook Bethany for Sinead after getting hit by a car.

Grieving widower Daniel Osbourne has gone into a downward spiral since the death of his wife Sinead Tinker and a drinking binge led to a horrific accident in tonight's episode.

After downing drinks, he stumbled out onto the Cobbles with Bethany Platt chasing him before he is suddenly knocked down by Cathy's car.

As he lies on the road, Bethany leans over him to make sure he's ok and Daniel seems to get her confused with his late wife.

Corrie fans were left heartbroken by the tragic scene and flocked to Twitter to praise telly bosses over the gut-wrenching moment.

One tweeted; "Wow, Daniel thought he was talking to Sinead, then slowly realised it was Bethany. Brilliant scene, and heartbreaking."

Daniel got hit by Cathy's car in front of Bethany (ITV)

She rushed over to help him (ITV)

Another added: "Awwwww Daniel thought it was Sinead talking #corrie @itvcorrie @Rob_Mallard @KatiexMcGlynn ."

A third wrote: "Daniel thinking bethany was sinead and the way #corrie filmed that... pure BRILLIANCE."

Viewers have watched Bethany (Lucy Fallon) fall for Daniel (Rob Mallard) in recent weeks on the soap - but her new lover’s grief for his lost wife Sinead looks set to derail the blossoming romance.

For while Bethany has been offering solace for Dan, he is said to be struggling to deal with his grief after losing his wife to cancer.

Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod has hinted that Bethany’s departure from the cobbles will be linked to Daniel’s struggles to move on.

Daniel had been on a drinking binge (ITV)

He confused Bethany for late wife Sinead (ITV)

“There’s the interesting next chapter in the Daniel and Bethany story which is about Daniel’s grief,” he told Metro.co.uk.

“Soaps can struggle to tell a realistic grief timeline – there comes a point where viewers find it dark and downbeat but I think we’ve found a clever way to realistically play out the next chapter of that,” he continued.

“In one of their heads it’s a romance but in the others it’s a lot more complicated. It’s a really interesting grief story where it’s not just about Daniel sitting alone in his flat, feeling lonely. It will ultimately form part of Lucy Fallon’s exit story,” he added.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV.