Coronation Street viewers were left stunned as the lesbian affair storyline resulted in a failed kidnapping plot.

Rana Nazir (Bhavna Limbachia) has been having an affair with Kate Connor (Faye Brookes), much to the fury of her parents.

In an episode earlier in the night, horrified viewers watched as Rana was lured into flying to Pakistan to visit a “dying” aunt with her mother, Saira Habeeb.

Bhavna Limbachia attending the British Soap Awards 2017 (Matt Crossick/PA)
Bhavna Limbachia attending the British Soap Awards 2017 (Matt Crossick/PA)

But the phantom illness was just a ruse to separate the two lovers.

The second episode of the night began with Rana and Kate sharing one last kiss before Rana drove to the airport – little knowing it could have been the last they saw of each other.

In nerve-shredding scenes, Saira used a key to scratch the sim card in her daughter’s phone to prevent anyone contacting her to stop her getting on the plane.

But the sinister plot started to unravel after Yasmeen, the grandmother of Rana’s estranged husband Zeedan, started to suspect something was amiss.

Coronation Street’s Faye Brookes who has said that she was worried about the potential backlash when she found our her character Kate Connor was going to be in a lesbian romance with Rana Nazir (Ian West/PA)
Faye Brookes said she was worried about the potential backlash when she found our her character was going to be in a lesbian romance with Rana Nazir (Ian West/PA)

This prompted Imran, Rana’s brother, to speak to his relatives in Pakistan – and discover his mother was lying.

Imran, Yasmeen, Zeedan and Kate then drove to the home of Rana’s parents.

Kate spotted Rana and her mother putting their suitcases into the back of a taxi – before frantically urging her lover to check the flight tickets.

A furious bust-up broke out as Saira demanded Kate leave her daughter alone.

But Rana insisted on seeing the tickets – and realised hers was one-way.

In emotional scenes, the kidnap plot unravelled – but Rana’s father disowned her because of the lesbian affair.

A tearful Rana begged to know how her parents could have planned to send her to Pakistan and away from the woman she loves.

Imran, Yasmeen, Zeedan, Kate and Rana drove back to Coronation Street where Rana and Kate shared a tearful embrace.