From marriages to affairs, Coronation Street’s long-time resident Steve McDonald’s romantic dramas have seen him have one night stands with characters including Leanne Battersby and marry a few of the Rovers Return barmaids including Becky Granger and Michelle Connor in recent years.
While he is currently married to Tracy Barlow for the second time, who knows whether their love will last – as they say, anything can happen in the world of the soaps.
Steve McDonald has been in more relationships than the Rovers Return has served hot pots and Daily Star takes a look at where some of the stars who played Steve McDonald’s exes are now.
Vicky Arden
(Image: ITV)
Vicky Arden was Steve McDonald’s first wife, and the couple were married from 1995 to 1996.
After the pair were put on trial for bribing Malcolm Fox, Steve was sent to prison for two years, with Vicky divorcing Steve and moving to Switzerland.
From 1991, Vicky was played by actress Chloe Newsome and since leaving the soap, she has taken on a number of TV roles in series such as The Bill, Sharpe and Children’s Ward, as well as having a successful career onstage.
Although it was reported that she retired from acting in 2005, Chloe most recently appeared in the 2011 film The Lost Christmas, opposite Eddie Izzard and Jason Flemyng.
Fiona Middleton
(Image: Getty Images)
Hairdresser Fiona, played by Angela Griffin, was in a relationship with Steve McDonald during her time on Coronation Street between 1992 to 1998, as well as being stood up at the altar by Alan McKenna and having a one-night stand with Steve’s dad Jim Mcdonald.
Although Fiona and Steve later got back together after breaking up, he cheated on her with Maxine, and Fiona decided to leave Weatherfield.
However, Fiona was secretly pregnant when she left in 1998, and in 2019, actress Angela Griffin made a cameo appearance as Fiona when it was revealed that Emma Brooker was Steve’s daughter.
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
After leaving Coronation Street in 1998, Angela has not left our screens and has since starred as Jasmine Hopkins in Holby City and is due to appear in the new Irvine Welsh drama Crime, on Britbox in 2021.
In real life she has been married to Jason Milligan since 2006, and they have two children together.
She is also a patron of the Leeds based charity Getaway Girls, and speaking about the charity she said: “As a woman from Leeds and a mum, I try to be a positive role model and tell girls to aspire to be the best they can.”
Karen Phillips
(Image: ITV / Rex Features)
Suranne Jones landed her break-out role in Coronation Street as Karen Phillips, who worked at Underworld and later married Steve McDonald.
She played Karen from 1997 to 2004, and from there she hasn’t left our screens, appearing in huge series including Doctor Who, A Touch of Cloth, Scott and Bailey, Doctor Foster and Gentleman Jack, as well delighting viewers as Amy Silva in BBC’s Vigil earlier this year.
(Image: Getty Images)
In real life, she has been married to her husband, the screenwriter and former magazine editor Laurence Akers, since 2015, and they have a five-year-old son.
The couple got together thanks to a close off set bond with another Coronation Street star, after Surrane and Laurence met at the wedding of actress Sally Lindsay, who played Shelley Unwin, in 2013.
Becky McDonald
(Image: ITV)
Steve McDonald married barmaid Becky in 2009, three years after Katherine Kelly first starred as the loveable character in Coronation Street in 2006.
They were married until 2011 and one year later, Katherine left the soap, saying in a statement: “I have had the most blissful five years. I wouldn’t change one moment of it – but it feels like the time is right to say goodbye to Becky.”
Like her fellow Coronation Street co-stars, Katherine has achieved new levels of fame, starring in programmes including Mr Selfridge and Happy Valley.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Outside of acting, Katherine was married to Ryan Clarke from 2013 and they had two children together, but it is reported that they have since separated.
The actress also has royal connections, as she is friends with Mike Tindall, the husband of Zara Tindall after going to the same school as him.
She told You magazine: “He was amazing at rugby and I was good at drama and we were both really dedicated, so there would be nights where we would be out at a club ’til two in the morning with everybody, but we’d be on soft drinks because he’d got a match and I’d got rehearsals the next morning.”
Michelle Connor
(Image: We Love TV)
Before playing Rovers Return barmaid Michelle Connor, Kym Marsh rose to fame as part of chart topping pop group Hear’Say, before pursuing a career in acting and presenting.
From 2006 to 2019 she played Michelle Connor, and during her time on the cobbles, she was the fifth wife of Steve McDonald.
They were married from 2015 to 2017, but aside from Steve, Michelle had her fair share of romances with other characters including with barman Ciaran played by Boyzone’s Keith Duffy.
(Image: Getty Images)
After leaving Coronation Street, Kym has continued to act in programmes including The Syndicate and also hosts BBC’s Morning Live opposite Gethin Jones.
In her personal life, Kym also has some soap star links, as she was previously married to Eastenders’ actor Jack Ryder from 2002 to 2009 and Hollyoaks’ Jamie Lomas from 2012 to 2014.
She most recently shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, following the news that her daughter Emily, who is 24, had gotten engaged, saying: “I am beyond thrilled! They are so wonderful together, have a beautiful little family of their own already and are fantastic parents to Teddy and Polly [Kym’s nine-year-old daughter]!”
Tracy Barlow
(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street’s Tracy Barlow has been in as many relationships as Steve during her time in Weatherfield, with characters such as Roy Cropper, Charlie Stubbs, Robert Preston and Dev Alahan.
However, she is currently settled down with Steve McDonald, after the couple revealed their love for each other in 2017, but since then, their relationship has certainly had its ups and downs.
Actress Kate Ford is the fourth actress to have played Tracy Barlow, with Christabel Finch playing the character from her introduction in 1977 until 1983.
Holly Chamerette played Tracy from 1985 to 1988, before Dawn Acton took over the role for a number of episodes between 1988 and 1999.
Kate Ford has played Tracy since 2002 and continues to play her in the popular ITV soap, but viewers will have to wait and see what is in store for her and Steve and whether their love will last.
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Outside of Coronation Street, she also had another rival soap role in 2002, starring in an EastEnders spin off about Bianca Jackson and Ricky Butcher.
In her personal life, she was married to TV producer Jon Connerty from 2007 to 2013, and they had one child together.
She is also close friends with X Factor presenter Kate Thornton, who she lives near, telling The Mirror: “We live on the same street in London and our boys are really good friends.
“We’re so close, and in and out of each other’s houses all the time.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
