Coronation Street legend Denise Welch tipped for a return to popular ITV soap

Odds have plunged on returning to - after a 25-year absence.

The Loose Women star is now 13/8 to walk the cobbles, a fall which comes just as has announced a special crossover episode of its two soaps Coronation Street and . Chatter among fans on social media includes hopes favourite characters will return - but ITV has kept tight-lipped about who will star in the episode.

It is understood, though, one character - potentially past or present - from each drama will meet face to face. Although Carla Connor from Corrie and Charity Dingle from are currently the favourites (11/8) to meet face to face, odds suggest Denise's character Natalie Barnes may be in the running.

But Carla's potential meeting with Kim Tate (Claire King) is placed at (2/1). Could there be a business deal brewing between Yorkshire and Manchester?

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It seems that the Cobbles might witness the return of star Denise Welch (13/8) for this crossover event. Denise played Natalie in Corrie between 1997 and 2000, and made an appearance in Emmerdale as a juror named Heidi late last year.

James Leyfield, Entertainment expert at Gambling.com, suggests another popular pairing could see Corrie's Kirk Sutherland () and Dales legend Sam Dingle (James Hooton) team up, with odds of 6/4 for them to meet, reports .

Denise also played Alison Slater in back in 2016. She's also well-known for her role as Steph Haydock in the school drama Waterloo Road, a role she is set to reprise this year in a reboot.

ITV chiefs have yet to reveal how fans will vote for which two characters, one from each soap, they would like to see interact in the crossover episode. One of the most anticipated pairings between Corrie and Emmerdale is Corrie's Carla Connor, portrayed by Alison King, and Emmerdale's Charity Dingle, played by Emma Atkins.

It would be a delightful nod to soap history if Ken Barlow, played by Bill Roache, were to share a scene with Emmerdale stalwart Eric Pollard, portrayed by Chris Chittell There are odds of 5/2 for the duo to join forces, but it's nearly as probable for Corrie and Emmerdale's villains to share a scene. Gary Windass, played by , and Cain Dingle, portrayed by , have odds of 3/1 to meet.

Steve and Jai have odds of 6/1 to encounter each other in the crossover episode, and a similar scenario could occur between Corrie's Nick Tilsley, played by , and Dales matriarch Kim Tate. Claire and Ben had an on-screen romance on the cobbles when their characters Erica Holroyd and Nick got together. The odds are 8/1 that they'll reunite from separate soaps in the special episode.

Natalie Anderson's new Corrie character Danielle Silverton has odds of 10/1 to meet up with Emmerdale's Jacob Gallagher, played by Joe Warren-Plant, after Natalie previously played Joe's mother Alicia Gallagher in the Dales.

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