Tracy Barlow

Tracy Barlow

Tracy Lynette Barlow (née Langton; previously Preston, Cropper and McDonald) is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Since 2002, she has been portrayed by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages. Christabel Finch played her from birth on 24 January 1977 to 21 November 1983, with Holly Chamarette taking over from 8 July 1985 to 23 March 1988. Dawn Acton is best known for playing the role regularly from 12 December 1988 to 14 June 1995, and then for brief reappearances in November 1996 till December 1997 and from 17 March till her last appearance as Tracy on 10 October 1999. Kate Ford took over the role from 25 December 2002, although Dawn Acton went to an audition but failed to get the part again. Ford left the role in 2007 making her final appearance on 8 April 2007. Following a three-year break, Ford returned to the role in May 2010. She returned on 24 December 2010. Tracy has changed from a troublesome but good-hearted teenager to an unsympathetic, borderline sociopathic adult.

Portrayed as headstrong, flirty and manipulative, early storylines featuring Tracy concentrated on her childhood and relationship with adoptive father Ken Barlow (William Roache). She went on to feature in storylines about drugs, various family crises, relationships with Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), a feud with Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones), and a short-lived marriage to Robert Preston. Her exit storyline in 2007 was the culmination of a storyline that saw the character imprisoned for Charlie Stubbs' (Bill Ward) murder. In the on-screen events, Tracy was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her brief return in May 2010 saw the character lie about Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth) confessing to murdering husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). Her return in December 2010 saw her released from prison after forensic evidence used at her trial was discredited, and getting her daughter Amy (Elle Mulvaney) back as well as being attacked by Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth) and attempting to steal Steve from his wife Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) resulting in them both having a feud. Tracy later fell pregnant with Steve's twins and then later suffered a miscarriage, she accused Becky of pushing her down the stairs but her lies were revealed at her wedding reception to Steve, the couple later split and Tracy embarked on a relationship with Ryan Connor (Sol Heras) who is fifteen years her junior, the son of Steve's girlfriend; Michelle (Kym Marsh).