Becky McDonald in Coronation Street was the loud-mouthed bad-girl-turned-good who everyone loved.
Married to Steve McDonald, she was the half-sister of Kylie Platt, and is the aunt of Kylie’s kids Max and Lily.
Becky came from a troubled background but her marriage to Steve, rivalry with Tracy Barlow and affection for Roy and Hayley Cropper made her one of Corrie’s best-loved characters.
Who played Becky McDonald in Coronation Street?
Becky McDonald in Coronation Street was played by talented actress Katherine Kelly.
She first appeared on television in Last of the Summer Wine back in 2003, as well as in roles on Silent Witness and the hospital drama No Angels, before she shot to fame playing Becky.
Since leaving Corrie, Katherine’s career has gone from strength to strength. She starred in Mr Selfridge, and in other hugely popular dramas including Happy Valley, The Night Manager, Class, Gentleman Jack, Innocent, and Liar.
Katherine has two daughters Orla and Rose with her former husband Ryan Clark. The pair split last year though they said their separation was amicable.
Becky’s arrival on the Street
Troubled Becky was an old friend of Kelly Crabtree. She arrived in the Street when Hayley Cropper offered her a job at Roy’s Rolls.
It wasn’t plain sailing at first, though, with Becky causing trouble for the Croppers.
But she settled down and began dating Jason Grimshaw, though she cheated on him with Steve McDonald.
Becky and Steve
After their one-night stand, Becky and Steve developed proper feelings for each other. They planned to wed, but Becky got too drunk before their first ceremony so it was called off.
At the reception of their second wedding, she was (falsely) arrested for possessing drugs.
Becky then had two miscarriages and discovered she couldn’t have children, so she and Steve decided to adopt.
But their application was turned down thanks to Becky’s sister, Kylie, giving her a bad reference.
The sisters eventually reconciled but while Kylie went off the rails, it was Becky who stepped up and cared for Max. Kylie even offered to sell the lad to her sister!
Things got messy and Steve and Becky planned to flee abroad with Max and Amy, but their plans fell apart and the pair broke up.
Steve then got back together with Tracy, and she got pregnant with his twins. But she miscarried.
Later, she and Becky had a furious row and Tracy fell down the stairs.
She falsely blamed her love rival for the loss of her babies – even though her fall happened after the miscarriage – and told everyone Becky had pushed her.
What happened to Becky McDonald in Coronation Street?
Becky was distraught and went off the rails again for a while. But she got herself back on track, and met handsome businessman Danny Stratton.
She fell for him and loved his young son Billy but she was upset when he revealed he was leaving to run a hotel in Barbados.
Determined to clear her name, Becky managed to steal Tracy’s medical records and discovered she lost the babies before her row with Becky.
She didn’t reveal the truth at Tracy and Steve‘s wedding, as viewers were expecting, but instead waited until the pair had tied the knot and were celebrating at the reception before dropping her bombshell.
And then she left Weatherfield forever to start a new life with Danny in the Caribbean. Where she still lives to this day!
Kylie and David were about to move to Barbados to be with Becky when Kylie was killed.
And Becky is still sometimes mentioned by the Platts and her niece and nephew Lily and Max.
Is Becky coming back to Coronation Street?
Actress Katherine is often asked if she would come back to the soap that made her famous.
But during a 2021 interview Katherine told the Herald it would be a “bitter disappointment” to revisit.
She said: “That character was very much of her time and I think, in all honesty, she would be a bitter disappointment to revisit.
“I would hate for her to be spoiled in any way, because it was such a perfect character, at a perfect time. Becky’s better left with a fondness.”
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Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
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