Deirdre Barlow
She's been on the Street almost as long as the cobbles - and Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) has been walked all over, too. She's grown stronger, though, as she's cleared some of life's trickier hurdles.
Marriages Ray Langton (divorced), Ken Barlow (divorced), Samir Rachid (deceased), Ken Barlow (remarried)
Children Tracy
1972 Makes her appearance at a party in The Rovers and applies for a part-time job there later in the year.
1974 Gets engaged to landlord Billy Walker, who is 20 years older than her. Ditches Billy and starts relationship with Ray Langton.
1975 Marries Ray in July.
1977 Gives birth to baby Tracy in March. Is sexually assaulted and contemplates suicide.
1978 Ray has an affair. Asks Deirdre to emigrate with him but she stays with Tracy and he leaves.
1979 Thinks Tracy is buried under lorry's spilled load but disturbed Sally Norton 'borrowed' her just before the crash. Billy Walker returns and they date again. Plans to leave with him but changes her mind.
1980 Hints to boyfriend Ken that she would marry him but this scares him off. Gets job in corner shop with Alf Roberts.
1981 Revives romance with Ken Barlow but they agree on a 'no strings' arrangement. Starts dating factory boss Mike Baldwin. Ken's jealous and they marry in July.
1982 Falls out with youth club leader Ken when she tells police the name of the teen she thinks mugged Betty Turpin (she's right).
1983 Has an affair with Mike. Ken finds out but their marriage survives.
1987 Elected local councillor.
1990 Divorces Ken after his affair with colleague Wendy Crozier. Dates plumber Dave Barton, then conman Phil Jennings, who takes her money.
1994 Leaves for six months to look after mum Blanche, who's had a stroke. Has a holiday romance with young waiter Samir Rachid. They marry in November.
1995 Tracy needs kidney transplant. Samir offers to donate a kidney but is attacked on way to hospital. Deirdre makes heartbreaking decision to switch off his life support. Works as live-in caretaker at Mike Baldwin's flats.
1996 Gets a job in travel agency with Alec Gilroy.
1997 Starts relationship with Jon Lindsay, who claims to be a pilot.
1998 Jon commits credit card fraud in Deirdre's name. She's jailed but the 'Weatherfield One' is released when Jon's ex-wife testifies against him. Works for Mike in factory. Reluctantly houses former cellmate Jackie Dobbs and her son Tyrone for a few weeks.
1999 Mum moves in with her and orchestrates renewed romance with Ken.
2000 Quits her job at the Underworld and gets a job at Dev's corner shop.
2001 Ken unromantically proposes to increase his chances of getting custody of grandson Adam and Deirdre is offended. Sleeps with Dev at Christmas.
2002 Dev's fiancée Geena discovers their indiscretion but Deirdre keeps the news from Ken.
2003 Tracy finds out Deirdre slept with Dev. Forced to confess to Ken, who is horrified, but wants them to work things through.
2004 Becomes a grandma when baby Amy is born.
2005 Remarries Ken - and her ex, Ray Langton, dies at the reception.
2007 Fights with Ken about Tracy's murder trial. Ken moves out and visits his ex, Denise Osbourne. Later reconciles with Deirdre.
2008 Marriage under strain again when stepson Peter Barlow turns up with his son Simon.
2009 Forgives Ken's affair with Martha Fraser. Throws interfering mum out but takes her back. Made redundant from council job.
2010 Struggles to come to terms with the death of her mum, Blanche. Later is initially delighted by the release from prison on bail of daughter Tracy, but quickly comes to regret her return to the street.
Played by Anne Kirkbride
Anne was born in Oldham, Lancashire, on 21 June 1954. Her father Jack was a cartoonist and her brother John is an author. Anne joined Oldham Rep as soon as she left school and got her first break on TV in a Jack Rosenthal play, Another Sunday And... Read More
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Coronation Street Current Cast
- A
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Anna Windass
played by Debbie Rush
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Ashley Peacock
played by Steven Arnold
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Audrey Roberts
played by Sue Nicholls
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Amy Barlow
played by Elle Mulvaney
- B
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Bill Webster
played by Peter Armitage
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Becky McDonald
played by Katherine Kelly
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Betty Williams
played by Betty Driver
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Blanche Hunt
played by Maggie Jones
- C
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Carla Gordon
played by Alison King
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Chesney Battersby-Brown
played by Sam Aston
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Claire Peacock
played by Julia Haworth
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Ciaran McCarthy
played by Keith Duffy
- D
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Darryl Morton
played by Jonny Dixon
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David Platt
played by Jack P Shepherd
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Deirdre Barlow
played by Anne Kirkbride
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Dev Alahan
played by Jimmi Harkishin
- E
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Eddie Windass
played by Steve Huison
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Eileen Grimshaw
played by Sue Cleaver
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Emily Bishop
played by Eileen Derbyshire
- F
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Fiz Stape
played by Jennie McAlpine
- G
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Gary Windass
played by Mikey North
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Graeme Proctor
played by Craig Gazey
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Gail Platt
played by Helen Worth
- H
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Hayley Cropper
played by Julie Hesmondhalgh
- J
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Janice Battersby
played by Vicky Entwistle
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Jesse Chadwick
played by John Thomson
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Joe McIntyre
played by Reece Dinsdale
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John Stape
played by Graeme Hawley
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Julie Carp
played by Katy Cavanagh
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Jack Duckworth
played by Bill Tarmey
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Jason Grimshaw
played by Ryan Thomas
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Joshua Peacock
played by Benjamin Beresford
- K
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Ken Barlow
played by William Roache
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Kevin Webster
played by Michael Le Vell
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Kirk Sutherland
played by Andrew Whyment
- L
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Liz McDonald
played by Bev Callard
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Lloyd Mullaney
played by Craig Charles
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Leanne Battersby
played by Jane Danson
- M
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Maria Connor
played by Samia Smith
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Michelle Connor
played by Kym Marsh
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Molly Dobbs
played by Vicky Binns
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Mary Taylor
played by Patti Clare
- N
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Norris Cole
played by Malcolm Hebden
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Nick Tilsley
played by Ben Price
- P
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Pam Hobsworth
played by Kate Anthony
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Peter Barlow
played by Chris Gascoyne
- R
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Rita Sullivan
played by Barbara Knox
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Rosie Webster
played by Helen Flanagan
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Roy Cropper
played by David Neilson
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Ryan Connor
played by Ben Thompson
- S
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Sarah Louise Platt
played by Tina O'Brien
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Simon Barlow
played by Alex Bain
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Sally Webster
played by Sally Whittaker
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Sean Tully
played by Antony Cotton
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Sophie Webster
played by Brooke Vincent
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Steve McDonald
played by Simon Gregson
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Sian Powers
played by Sacha Parkinson
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Sunita Alahan
played by Shobna Gulati
- T
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Tina McIntyre
played by Michelle Keegan
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Tony Gordon
played by Gray O'Brien
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Tyrone Dobbs
played by Alan Halsall
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Tracy Barlow
played by Kate Ford
- V
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Vera Duckworth
played by Elizabeth Dawn
