On Air Now
Heart Breakfast with JK and Amanda Holden 6:30am - 10am
How did Sunita Alahan die in Coronation Street?
4 March 2021, 08:57 | Updated: 4 March 2021, 08:58
When did Sunita leave Corrie and what happened to Dev Alahan's wife? Here's what we know about Shobna Gulati's character...
Coronation Street's Dev Alahan has been working hard to take care of his twins Asha and Aadi over the past few months.
The shop owner has recently been seen supporting daughter Asha’s (Tanisha Gorey) new relationship with Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher).
But how did his wife Sunita die and what happened to her? Here’s what we know…
How did Sunita die in Coronation Street?
Sunita Alahan died back in April 2013 after she was trapped in a fire at the Rovers Return, caused by her ex-lover Karl Munro (John Michie).
The drama started when Sunita caught Karl setting the Rovers alight in a bid to frame Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) for dodgy electrics.
Read More: Who did Johnny Briggs play in Coronation Street and why did he leave the soap?
Karl left his ex to die inside the blaze so no one would find out what he had done, but she survived and ended up in hospital.
Unfortunately, Karl later sneaked into her room and dislodged her breathing tubes to finish what he started.
After the truth was finally revealed, Karl was sent to prison in 2013.
Sunita joined the show back in 2001 when she fled Mumbai to avoid an arranged marriage.
Coronation Street are back filming with strict social distancing
As well as falling in love with Dev, her biggest storylines included surviving a brain tumour, being held hostage, falling pregnant with twins and surviving the tram crash.
In 2006, Sunita gave birth to Aadi and Asha, before discovering Dev already had two other children who he had fathered with other women.
The couple divorced and Sunita got custody of the twins as well as their house.
Why did Shobna Gulati quit Coronation Street?
In November 2012, actress Shobna announced that she had quit the soap permanently.
At the time, she said she wanted to write and perform more comedy and also said the gruelling soap schedule affected her love life.
"I have loved playing Sunita but I really feel the time has come for me to focus on other aspects of my career," she said.
"I always told myself I would see my son through school and I have done that."
She added: "Comedy writing has long been a passion of mine and the commitment to a show like Corrie is huge and doesn't really leave enough time to concentrate on other projects.
"I'd love to be able to combine my writing and acting career in the future."
Now Read: Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders stars whose children are famous
