Coronation Street's Qasim Akhtar talks Zeedan's ex-wife return

Coronation Street spoilers follow.

Coronation Street star Qasim Akhtar has opened up about his character's past returning to Weatherfield, as the consequences of the upcoming fire at Speed Daal begin to unfold.

In scenes set to air next week, Speed Daal is engulfed in flames amid Zeedan Nazir's money laundering storyline, which has seen Zeedan indebted to his father-in-law Hashim.

Zeedan finds himself in an increasingly desperate situation after his food van is stolen, especially as Hashim's dodgy cash is inside. Hashim is left fuming, and suggests to Zeedan that if he needs to burn down his restaurant to claim insurance money, he should.

Now, ahead of next week's dramatic fire, Qasim has revealed that the fire is "only the beginning" of Zeedan's problems, as his ex-wife Marrium soon arrives on the cobbles.

ITV

"Well the fire is certainly not the end of it. In some ways, it is only the beginning – and, as a consequence of the fire, Zeedan's ex-wife Marrium arrives in Weatherfield," the Corrie star explained.

Opening up about the dynamic between Zeedan and Marrium, Qasim also hinted that there are still feelings between the former couple.

"It is interesting to meet her as he made some terrible mistakes in the marriage and cheated on her, but it quickly becomes evident that he still loves her," he teased. "We will see a different side to Zeedan."

ITV

Qasim continued: "[Zeedan] was so hurt in his first marriage, and for some reason he then did the same thing to his second wife, as Rana did to him. So, it is great to meet her and learn more about that dynamic."

As well as promising an arc full of "drama and grit" for the troubled Weatherfield businessman, Qasim added: "I am intrigued to see where the story is going to go, [there are] lots more twists and turns along the way."

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7.30pm on ITV.