Soaps

Coronation Street’s 12 ultimate survivors

This lot have come through the worst of times

Living on Coronation Street you will definitely find you’ll have to survive plenty of drama.

But for some characters, survivor should be their middle name.

These are the people Gloria Gaynor, Destiny’s Child, and Christina Aguilera sang about. They’re strong, resourceful people who’ve emerged battered but not broken.

These – in no particular order – are Coronation Street’s ultimate survivors.

1. Carla Connor (Alison King)

ITV
Carla should have ‘survivor’ tattooed on her (Credit: ITV)

Carla has been through so much since she arrived on the Street in 2006, we don’t quite know why she came back after she originally left in 2016, the cobbles certainly don’t hold good memories for her.

First husband Paul Connor died in a car accident, pre-Peter Barlow love-of-her-life Liam Connor died in a hit and run, then second husband Tony Gordon murdered said love of her life, then tried to kill her and eventually killed himself in a fire at Underworld.

She then had a short-lived engagement to Frank Foster, who raped her when she called it off. She was prime suspect when Frank was murdered, and spent much of that time battling an alcohol problem.

Leaning on Peter Barlow, Carla made him husband number three, but he cheated with Tina McIntyre, and Carla then went on to marry Nick Tilsley. That lasted for less than a day.

Carla was also blamed for a fire that Tracy Barlow started and thought about taking her own life unable to cope with the guilt and hate she received.

She’s had kidney failure, receiving a transplant from late brother Aidan Connor, and she’s set to be blamed for the factory roof collapse later in 2019 and face another mental health battle.

2. Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh)

Michelle’s kept on going (Credit: ITV)

Michelle’s had it tough since her arrival in Weatherfield in 2006. She found out her brother Paul was responsible for her partner, Dean’s death, she then discovered her son Ryan had been swapped at birth and wasn’t biologically hers, and she also lost both her brothers Paul and Liam in car-related accidents.

But arguably the thing that makes her a true survivor was the death of her son Ruairi at just 23 weeks. The heartbreak was made even worse when she discovered Ruairi’s dad, Steve, had betrayed her and fathered another child with Leanne Battersby.

Michelle made it through and turned to Robert Preston for support. They’ve since got together, and she’s helped him survive a cancer battle, plus she’s pulled through after being shot by Pat Phelan and involved in a car crash during a chase with gangster Ronan Trueman.

3. Liz McDonald (Beverly Callard)

She’s been through so much (Credit: ITV)

With her big hair and loud outfits, it’s easy to forget Liz McDonald has been through some of the worst things a person can ever suffer.

Her troubles have mostly been as a result of abusive ex-husband Jim, but perhaps her most heartbreaking came early on in her time on the cobbles in 1992 when her baby daughter, Katie, died at just one day old after being born prematurely.

The devastation of that death, although it has never left her, came back to haunt her recently when Jim returned with ‘Katie’ claiming there had been a mix up at the hospital and their daughter was alive and well.

This was a disgusting lie concocted by Jim and his prison girlfriend Hannah to get revenge on Liz for abandoning him.

Liz battered Jim when she found out and sent him packing, but she’s since picked herself up and carried on like the true survivor she is.

4. David Platt (Jack P Shepherd)

ITV
David bravely opened up about his ordeal (Credit: ITV)

Often the perpetrator of nasty acts (see number 8), David has found himself with more than a few awful experiences to survive over the last few years.

Wife Kylie first became addicted to drugs and left him, then returned for them to reunite only for her to die in his arms after being stabbed by Clayton Hibbs.

David carried on, but his toughest test was yet to come when in 2018 he was drugged and raped by his supposed mate, Josh Tucker.

Thankfully, after hearing how a depressed Aidan Connor had taken his own life, David decided he needed to take control and confided in girlfriend Shona about his attack. He’s worked through his ordeal and been able to move forward with the help of a very supportive family.

5. Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon)

Schoolgirl Bethany thought she was in love when evil groomer Nathan Curtis came into her life. .

Bethany refused to believe the truth about her then-fiance even after he made her sleep with his mates and was arrested during a sex party. She even planned to flee the country to be with him, with no idea he was planning to sell her to a sex ring in Amsterdam.

When she did figure it out, she managed to get away from him, have him arrested and found the strength to testify against him and his cronies in court.

She was later kidnapped by abuser Neil Clifton’s daughter, Kayla, and managed to survive that too.

6. Gary Windass (Mikey North)

Gary Windass might be a builder happily (or unhappily, depending on which day of the week it is) shacked up with Sarah Platt these days, but he has survived a huge amount too.

He joined the army in 2010, but ended up going AWOL through fear over going to war. He eventually went back to the army, but after being in a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, which claimed the life of his best mate, Quinny, Gary suffered emotionally and psychologically.

The chaos of the 2010 tram crash saw Gary break down and lock himself in the house as he struggled to cope with his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

He later tried to stop girlfriend Izzy Armstrong leaving the house, as his PTSD took hold and he feared something would happen to her.

He eventually managed to control his fears and has since dealt with his issues, although a dangerous trip to the Ukraine to work for a security firm saw him struggle again.

7. Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox)

Rita from Corrie
Rita’s had one hell of a life (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

Rita Tanner was at the heart of one of the Street’s most shocking abuse plots when she got involved with Alan Bradley.

After trying to con her out of all her money, he tried to suffocate her when she found out the truth, and eventually due to his campaign of terror against her, Rita was forced to flee Weatherfield and change her name.

Bradley tracked her down though and in one of the most iconic scenes in the show’s history, he was killed by a tram in Blackpool as Rita ran away from him.

Rita recovered, but has since been near-death when she was trapped in the tram crash of 2010, and has also battled a a brain tumour.

8. Gail Rodwell (Helen Platt)

Gail’s taken on plenty of men – and she’s the one still standing (Credit: ITV)

Anyone who’s had as many surnames as Gail has has certainly survived a lot of marriages, that’s for sure. But Gail’s also survived plenty of other things too.

She kept on going after first husband Brian Tilsley was stabbed to death, even though she had a baby to think about, she then survived Richard Hillman’s attempt to kill her and her kids, she got through son David’s efforts to kill her, and she made it out of prison in one piece after being wrongly accused of murdering husband Joe McIntyre.

All of her experiences have made her very wise, as reflected during her moving monologue following the suicide of Aidan Connor in May 2018.

9. Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon)

She lost her baby and her husband (Credit: ITV)

Maria Connor is another woman who’s faced some serious challenges in her time on the cobbles.

She was left absolutely heartbroken when her baby boy with Liam Connor was stillborn. Although Liam was obviously in love with his sister in law Carla Connor, he and Maria continued with their marriage, and Maria fell pregnant again.

Just as she was about to tell Liam she was carrying his baby, he was killed in a hit and run ordered by Carla’s fiance Tony Gordon. Maria then found herself in a relationship with Tony himself and he ended up helping her give birth to Liam’s child.

She was distraught when she found out the truth about Tony and almost gave up her son to Roy and Hayley Cropper for fear she was a terrible mother.

After getting through the grief she felt, Maria then found herself the victim of an attempted rape by Frank Foster.

She was also the object of crazed stalker Caz Hammond’s affections for some time, and was even accused of murdering her before Aidan discovered Caz alive and well.

Maria’s also served time in jail after marrying illegal immigrant Pablo so he could stay in the country and be with his boyfriend.

10. Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls)

Lewis’s ‘betrayal’ was too much for Audrey, but she’ll get through it (Credit: ITV)

Audrey may have started out as a social climber, but she’s mellowed over the years and has battled through some very tough times.

She lost her husband Alfie to a heart attack on New Year’s Eve in 1998 and 20 years to the day she lost second love of her life, Lewis Archer.

In between all of that she was proclaimed to be going senile by former son in law Richard Hillman, who just wanted to take all her money, and she was conned by Lewis himself before he went straight and came back to win her heart.

More recently she’s been conned out of £80k by grandson Nick, but believes it was Lewis who took the money before he died. Left with money troubles as she has dry rot in her house that’s costing a fortune to repair, she’s been forced to sell her share of her salon to mate Claudia.

11. Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride)

Editorial use only. Exclusive - Premium Rates Apply. Call your Account Manager for pricing. Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/REX/Shutterstock (807540ld) 'Coronation Street' TV - 2007 - Ken Barlow [William Roache] tries to talk to Deirdre Barlow [Anne Kirkbride] about wanting to see Daniel – but she believes he has designs on Denise and calls him a liar! ITV ARCHIVE
The ultimate Corrie survivor (Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
When Ken Barlow told Sinead he regretted marrying late wife Deirdre, the nation were stunned. As well as sullying the memory of one of Corrie’s favourite couples, surely it was Deirdre who had drawn the short straw?!

Being mother to Tracy Barlow is enough to crown any woman a survivor, but Deirdre also went through some awful things too.

After divorcing Ken following her affair with Mike Baldwin and his fling with Wendy Crozier, Deirdre found love again with much younger Samir Rachid, only for him to be beaten to death the day before he was due to donate a kidney to Tracy.

Deirdre’s next romance was with pilot Jon Lindsay, except he wasn’t a pilot at all, he was a conman who framed her for fraud and stole all her money. Deirdre ended up in prison for the crimes, sparking the nation’s ‘Free the Weatherfield One’ campaign.

Once she was released she and Ken reunited, but trouble was never far away as she was forced to cope with Tracy being imprisoned for killing Charlie Stubbs, and Peter going to jail for supposedly killing Tina McIntyre.

The stress of Peter’s trial and recurrent alcoholism became too much in the end and Deirdre departed Weatherfield to stay with her friend, Bev Unwin, until the trial was over.

Sadly, she never made it back as actress Anne Kirkbride passed away aged 60 in January 2015 after a battle with cancer.

The show revealed Deirdre had died later that year of an aneurysm.

12. Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson)

A near-death car crash isn’t the only thing Leanne has survived (Credit: ITV)

Leanne Battersby has survived several brushes with death – and several marriage to Nick Tilsley.

Perhaps her biggest act of survival though came as she dealt with stepson Simon Barlow’s domestic abuse against her.

Leanne remained strong and has come out the other side.

13. Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay)

Editorial use only. Exclusive - Premium Rates Apply. Call your Account Manager for pricing. Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/REX/Shutterstock (764233ez) 'Coronation Street' TV - 2006 - Charlie Stubbs (BILL WARD) goes to find Shelley Unwin (SALLY LINDSAY) to find out what's going on. When he finds her he grabs her and thrusts her against the wall - his worst fears are confirmed - she's pregnant with his child. He gets a shock when Shelley tells him that she wants him to have nothing to do with her or the baby. ITV ARCHIVE
Shelley finally stood up to Charlie (Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Rovers landlady Shelley Unwin survived months of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of fiance Charlie Stubbs, but eventually found the strength to leave him.

She had previously been married to Peter Barlow who was a bigamist, but she thought she’d found true love with Charlie.

He bullied her, made her feel worthless and physically assaulted her, but Shelley eventually found the strength to walk away and she jilted him on their wedding day.

They did have a subsequent one-night stand, which resulted in Shelley falling pregnant, but she left Weatherfield to raise the child alone.

Who do you think is Corrie’s bravest survivor? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!


Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)

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