Tracy Barlow might be breaking husband Steve McDonald’s heart in Coronation Street, but it was the other way round for actress Kate Ford in real life who was left devastated by her own divorce
As Tracy Barlow looks set to leave the cobbles, we take a look at actress Kate Ford’s life off screen.
Rumour has it, the man-eating Tracy Barlow may be about to leave Coronation Street for sunny Spain after 22 years, leaving her devastated husband Steve McDonald reeling from her affair with his footballing idol Tommy Orpington. But – away from the cameras – actress Kate has revealed she’s had some tough times over the years.
The 47-year-old actress was born in Salford and attended school in Cumbria and Lancashire, before going on to study acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Before landing the Corrie role, she had her first acting appearance back in 1995 when she starred in a music video for The Beatles’ track “Free as a Bird”.
On screen she’s dated the likes of Charlie Stubbs, Rob Donovan and Steve McDonald but off screen she’s a single mum to 15-year-old Otis. Kate was once linked with Bart Ruspoli, who has since become a BAFTA-nominated actor. The pair met on the set of EastEnders in 2000, when Kate had a minor role.
The pair didn’t date for long and after their brief relationship, Ford kept her cards close to her chest when it came to her love life. Then in 2007, she tied the knot with TV producer Jon Connerty. Jon Connerty is known for Sugar Free Farm (2016), Beauty & the Beast: The Ugly Face of Prejudice (2011) and Police: Night Shift 999 (2022).
Kate gave birth to a son in 2008 but separated from her husband in September 2013. In an interview with The Sun, Ford said that the separation was “incredibly painful”, but acting in Coronation Street helped her to move on. “When Jon and I first parted it was quite hard to put my personal life aside,” she said. “But then it became therapeutic to concentrate on my job. People call it ‘Doctor Theatre’ – when you’re acting, you can’t worry about things.”
“We really tried hard to make it work,” she continued. “But it came to the point when we knew we had to get a divorce. Things had changed and it wasn’t what it was. But it was incredibly painful. For a while after we split, I found it hard to get out of bed. I wasn’t at work at the time, and I’d drop Otis off at school and go back to bed until I picked him up.”
Tracy made her first appearance on the cobbles all the way back in 1977 and actress Kate Ford has portrayed the fiery character since 2002. Prior to this, Tracy was portrayed by Christabel Finch from 1977 to 1983, Holly Chamarette from 1985 to 1988 and Dawn Acton from 1988 to 1999.
