CORONATION Street fans have branded Alya Nazir’s new career ‘a joke’ and called out a glaring blunder.
Alya – played by Sair Khan– started out as a trainee manager at Underworld when she first arrived in Weatherfield, before buying half of brother Zeedan’s restaurant, Speed Daal.
She also worked at the Bistro, but she left in 2022 to become Dee-Dee Bailey’s legal secretary at Barlow Legal Services and had carried on in that role until recently, when she was poached by rival firm, Fabian’s.
Rich, a boss at Fabian’s, was impressed by Alya after she took a meeting in Adam Barlow’s place, and accepted his offer of a job.
In the following episodes, Rich offered Alya the chance to go and work on a big legal project in Dublin, which she jumped at the chance to take on.
The storyline facilitated Sair’s exit for maternity leave, but Coronation Street fans have still taken issue with the speed at which Alya’s legal career has advanced.
Taking to X – formerly Twitter – one wrote: “Has Alya got a Law Degree or has she done a Law conversion course?! This storyline about her becoming a big time Lawyer is a joke!”
Another added: “She was the office junior the other week but its ok she’s got a big book on contract law, so she’ll be qualified by the time she gets off the flight!”
A third tweeted: “When Alya McBeal returns from Dublin will she be a Barrister #Corrie @itvcorrie no legal studies required.”
Meanwhile a fourth raged: “Last year Alya was a Bistro waitress. Now pretending to be a top lawyer. Ridiculous writings.”
Alya was seen leaving the Cobbles in Wednesday’s episode of the ITV soap, and hours later, Sair revealed she had given birth to her first child.
Announcing the news tonight on Instagram, she wrote: “He’s here!
“Okay, when I said ‘Spring awakening’ in my last post I didn’t mean ‘keep’ me awake. The new parent zombie look is definitely a thing isn’t it.
“More importantly our little boy is just marvellous. Very serious and curious about the world. He’s super strong and so resilient for joining me on the absolute rollercoaster that was our 22 hours of labour.
“We didn’t quite get the birth i’d hoped for but that’s okay (two birth pools, no water birth).”
Sair called the labour “raw and primal” and admitted to finding the first days of motherhood a steep learning curve.
Coronation Street's shock exits 2024
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite, portrayed by Peter Ash, was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Eileen Grimshaw is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour.
She’s had to leave the Street immediately after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
She continued: “Somehow we’re off the starting blocks and I’m so unbelievably grateful for our healthy baby, for Nathan and for the incredible support network around us for their patience, generosity and late night voice notes that have kept me going.
“Anyone else ever felt like there’s a DJ beat coming from your breast pump at 3am or is that what delirium is?!”
Sair met partner Nathan – a chiropractor – in 2021, two years after her split from fellow soap star Simon Lennon.
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.