Vera and Jack Duckworth Corrie Credit: ITV/Shutterstock
Soaps

Seven of the best marriages between Coronation Street characters

Were any couple made to last?

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Coronation Street isn’t known for it’s rock solid marriages, let’s be honest!

But there are some – though few and far between – that were really good partnerships.

They may have had their ups and downs, affairs, arguments, trials and tribulations, but they made it through and were stronger for it.

Here’s a look at the best marriages Corrie’s ever had.

Roy and Hayley Cropper

Roy and Hayley Cropper Corrie Credit: ITV/Shutterstock
We can’t even look at this without feeling sad (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Roy and Hayley Cropper were simply the best. They were made for each other.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Hayley and Roy, who were introduced by Alma Baldwin and quickly became firm friends.

When Hayley revealed she was a pre-operative transsexual who used to be called Harold, Roy panicked and ended their relationship. But realising he couldn’t live without her, they were reunited and Hayley travelled to Amsterdam to have her surgery.

Roy and Hayley took in many a waif and stray over the years, including Fiz Brown (Stape) and Becky McDonald. They even took hard-faced Carla Connor under their wing and softened her exterior.

Hayley and Roy officially married on August 30, 2010 after the law changed to recognise their union.

Sadly, Hayley was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2013 and died in Roy’s arms after taking her own life in January 2014.

Roy has never got over the tragedy of his wife’s passing – and neither have we. Sniff.

Read more: Coronation Street set tour – what to expect

Jack and Vera Duckworth

Vera and Jack Duckworth Corrie Credit: ITV/Shutterstock
They might not have been perfect, but it was love (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Vera and Jack Duckworth were known for their constant bickering, but underneath it all there was definitely love.

They both had their dalliances, with Jack’s eye particularly wandering on more than one occasion. He was carrying on with Bet Lynch while Vera was busy with her own boyfriend!

They had one son together, Terry Duckworth, who was no good and even tried to sell his own son, Tommy. Vera was often left heartbroken by Terry’s behaviour and Jack was forced to pick up the pieces.

Their surrogate son, Tyrone Dobbs, was more like family to them than their own blood.

The Duckworth marriage survived all that was thrown at it until Vera passed away in her sleep in January 2008.

Two years later, Jack had visions of Vera and they danced together before he died too.

Stan and Hilda Ogden

Stan and Hilda Ogden Corrie Credit: ITV/Shutterstock
The originals: Hilda and Stan (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Before Roy and Hayley and Jack and Vera were Hilda and Stan. The original Corrie couple have been dubbed one of the show’s all-time favourites.

Also known for their bickering, the on-screen couple stayed married for 20 years until the death of actor Bernard Youens (Stan) forced writers to kill Stan off too.

Despite their rocky patches and financial difficulties, plus their tearaway children, Stan and Hilda’s love ran deep.

In the late 1970s they won a second honeymoon to the Savoy hotel and were picked up on the Street in a limuosine. Hilda bought a special silk nightdress for the occasion, but typically, Stan fell asleep!

Stan died of gangrene on November 21 , 1984, and in one of the show’s most memorable moments, Hilda returned from hospital with a bag of his belongings, took out his spectacles and cried as the episode ended without the theme tune.

Hilda left the show in 1987 to become a housekeeper for a doctor in Derbyshire.

Ken and Deirdre Barlow

Ken and Deirdre Barlow Corrie Credit: ITV/Shutterstock
Married twice (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Once described as the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor of Weatherfield by The Daily Record, Ken and Deirdre Barlow may not have stayed faithful, but the fact they married twice shows their union had something special.

They were married from 1981 to 1990, and survived Deirdre’s affair with Mike Baldwin. In fact, the news they were staying together was so huge it was announced on the scoreboard at Old Trafford during a Manchester United vs Arsenal match!

But they weren’t able to get past Ken’s dalliance with Wendy Crozier and split up. Deirdre married Samir Rachid, who was killed in 1994 and, after Ken campaigned to get her released from prison after she was wrongly accused of fraud following a relationship with conman Jon Lindsey, Ken and Deirdre reunited in 1997.

They remarried on April 8, 2005 and they remained together (despite his affair with Martha Longhurst) until Deirdre’s death in 2015.

Their memory was somewhat sullied in 2017 when Ken admitted he felt he’d wasted his life on Deirdre, but at least he said he loved her more than his other wives.

Sally and Kevin Webster

Sally and Kevin wedding Corrie Credit: ITV/Shutterstock
They’re divorced, but still… (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Kevin and Sally Webster might be twice-divorced, but go with us on this one: they’re still best friends and always there for each other, and that makes for a pretty strong relationship to us!

They first married in 1986, and went on to have two daughters, Rosie and Sophie, but split in 1999. Kevin had cheated with Natalie Horrocks, but it was Sally’s affair with Greg Kelly that put the final nail in the coffin for the couple.

However, they reunited and after Sally had another affair before their second wedding, they said ‘I do’ again on December 9, 2009.

Sally had an affair with her boss Ian Davenport, Kevin then had an affair with Molly Dobbs, fathering a child, Jack, with her, and Sal and Kev finally divorced for good in 2011.

However, a divorce seemed to be just what these two needed – they are now the best of friends and with Sally married to Tim Metcalfe, Kev’s like the third wheel they never knew they needed.

Sally and Tim Metcalfe

Sally Tim wedding Corrie Credit: ITV/Youtube
Sally and Tim got married in 2015 (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

Sally and current husband, Tim Metcalfe, were a strange pairing at first. Snobby Sally and window-cleaner Tim wouldn’t have been the obvious choice to put together.

But they’re regularly at the top of everyone’s lists of favourite soap couples as they continue to wind each other up and yet melt our hearts.

With Sally’s stint in prison finally about to come to an end, the pair will be reunited.

And despite Tim’s doubts over her fidelity, and her sister Gina Seddon trying to move in on Sal’s man, the couple will be stronger than ever when she returns to the Street, we’re sure of it.

Read more: Could you be an extra on Coronation Street?

Kylie and David Platt

David and Kylie wedding Corrie Credit: ITV/YouTube
The Platt’s union was cut tragically short (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

David Platt was a tearaway when he met the women who would become his wife when she was working as a stripper in Tenerife.

He brought her home with him and Gail was not impressed to see it was Kylie. But Kyls grounded David, she made him a better man and they were happy together.

They even had a baby together – Lily – and although there was a time when it could have been either David or Nick who was the father, the pair battled on and made it through stronger.

But Kylie’s evil ex Callum did succeed in dragging them apart when he got Kylie back on the drugs, and she departed Weatherfield after David threw her out.

She came back some months later and she and David reunited to make his claim for custody of her son Max stronger.

They stood firm when Kylie killed Callum while he was trying to attack Sarah, and were planning their idyllic future in the Caribbean when Kylie was tragically stabbed by Clayton Hibbs.

Following a long period of grief over her death, David is now dating Shona Ramsay. But can she hold a candle to his beloved Kylie?


Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)

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