A legendary character died in the first episode of the new Waterloo Road, but how?!

MAJOR spoilers ahead, obviously. 

The new series of Waterloo Road premiered last night (3rd January) and, because it’s Waterloo Road, obviously there had to be a shock death at the end of episode one.

After a year of build-up, we saw Chlo Charles (seemingly quite randomly) die in the arms of her husband, Donte, in one of the final scenes. This makes her the ninth big character to die in Waterloo Road – after her mum, Izzie, and her stepdad, Tom.

It’s probably an understatement to say the fan reaction hasn’t been superb. Long-time viewers of the BBC drama endured years of Chlo/Donte drama, before they eventually got married and went on to live their happily-ever-after. Everyone just feels a bit cheated of seeing them live a long life together, to be honest.

So, how exactly did Chlo die? And why was it all so sudden?

Photo via BBC

At the start of episode one, anti-racist protests are carried out by the students of Waterloo Road, which causes traffic to back-up outside the school. One of the new teachers, Coral Walker, is pelted with paint bombs on her windscreen to the point where she can’t see ahead while driving.

She rear-ends a parent, who accidentally knocks Chlo over while she’s crossing the road. Luckily, she seems almost totally unscathed, except for a minor bump on her arm.

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The rest of the episode continues, and we’re left to think nothing more of it. Until later on, at home, Chlo starts to experience intense headaches. Donte holds her as she collapses – and in the next scene, the whole family are told that she’d tragically passed away after being brought into hospital. Annoyingly, though, we never found out what happened.

But, here’s a theory. It’s really likely that Chlo actually suffered a head injury when the car hit her, or when she fell to the ground. Tragically it was totally missed, and left to get worse as the day went on. RIP to a Waterloo Road legend, I guess.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Ummm, so it turns out Matty Healy was in the original Waterloo Road?
• From prison to Bridgerton, here’s where the original cast of Waterloo Road are now
• These eight Waterloo Road deaths still have me sobbing into my school jumper

Featured image via BBC.