They noticed a long-running character had ‘regenerated’ in the ITV soap as a new actor stepped into the role

Coronation Street fans were left distracted as they noticed a long-running character had ‘regenerated’ in front of their eyes as a new actor stepped into the role.

During a scene with Daniel Osbourne and Ken Barlow in Thursday’s (May 7) episode of the ITV soap, a young Bertie Osbourne could be seen looking a bit different to when viewers last saw him.

As Corrie fans know, Bertie was born on-screen back in January 2019 to parents Daniel and Sinead Tinker. As Sinead had been diagnosed with cervical cancer after his conception, he was induced at six months in order to allow her to be treated with radiotherapy as soon as possible.

Later, Sinead discovered her cancer had returned and set about hosting an early first birthday party for Bertie so that she could be around for the milestone. However, the event was ruined when Sinead received news that her cancer hadn’t responded to chemotherapy and she only had weeks left to live.

In her final days, Sinead recorded video messages for Bertie for him to watch as he grew up, and she tragically died in October, leaving a grieving Daniel to bring up their little boy.

As a baby, Bertie was played by actors Ellis Blain and Elias Morgan-Smith, as well as Elias’ twin, Rufus Morgan-Smith, who stayed in the role until earlier this year. Now, the character is being played by Henry Duggan, who already has a connection to one of the show’s stars, as he was taught at Tina O’Brien’s theatre school, The Drama MOB.