Corrie's Tracy Barlow's real life - famous ex, health woes and 'incredible pain'

04 September 2023 , 17:00

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Kate Ford has played Tracy Barlow since 2002 (Image: ITV)

Fans of Coronation Street know Kate Ford as the feisty Tracy Barlow, daughter of Diedre and Ken, who has been involved in a number of dramatic storylines over the years, from blackmailing Roy Cropper to being imprisoned for killing her boyfriend Charlie Stubbs.

But despite the dark acts, Ford previously admitted she doesn't think her character is evil. "I think she's a sociopath really, she doesn't have the empathy that most people have," she told The Mirror back in 2015. "But we do see the human side of her, I don't think the character would have lasted so long if she was just a baddie. People wouldn't believe her. She's never boring, I'm really lucky."

Loyal viewers of the show will know the ins and outs of the character's life as they've watched her scenes play out on screen for over 20 years, but away from the cameras, Ford's life is very different from Tracy's.

The star shared her 'incredible pain' over her divorce (Instagram)

She shares son Otis with her ex-husband (WireImage)

The 46-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. Her first role was in the music video for The Beatles' song Free as a Bird in 1995 before she went on to appear in a spin-off episode of EastEnders with the characters of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson. She then went on to take over the role of Tracy, becoming the fourth actress to play the part.

Outside of her career, Ford is said to have dated BAFTA-nominated actor Bart Ruspoli, who had a brief stint on EastEnders, for a short while in 2000. The pair didn't date for long, but Ruspoli's now-wife notably shared a picture of the two from 1997 as a throwback. Ford reposted the image on social media, writing: "I love this!! When your ex's wife posts a celebratory photo of you and her husband (I love them both) from 1997 you realise how life can (sometimes) come full circle in gorgeous ways you at one point, couldn't imagine xx."

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She then went on to have a relationship with TV producer Jon Connerty, whom she married in 2007. They welcomed their first child, Otis James, a year later in 2008. Unfortunately, the marriage broke down and they divorced in 2013. At the time, Ford admitted the split had been "incredibly painful", but said she was trying to focus on her career to take her mind off of things. She told the Sun: "We really tried hard to make it work. 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." Since her split from her husband, Kate hasn't been publicly linked to anyone.

Kate started her career in a Beatles music video (UK Press via Getty Images)

She's been open about her health woes (realkate1/Instagram)

Despite this, the one thing Ford has been very open about is her health, as she suffers with a painful condition and wants to help others in a similar situation. The soap star has endometriosis, which affects the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes and has admitted that it sometimes affects her while she's working on Corrie.

Ford has been honest about her condition on social media. In one post she shared a selfie of herself wearing a red jacket with a Coronation Street badge on it on Instagram. She captioned the post: "Filming #itvcorrie this was a few weeks ago at a time that I was struggling with my #endometriosis, luckily got lots of support. Just sending a hug out to all those struggling with similar." Ford's Corrie pals shared messages of support in response, with Shobna Gulati, who previously played Sunita Alahan, writing "You are so strong xxx and beautiful" while Samia Longchambon - plays Maria Connor- sent a heart and hug emoji.

Aside from her co-stars, Ford has a number of other famous pals, including Loose Women star Kate Thornton who lives on the same road as her. Speaking previously about their relationship, the Corrie star said: "I spent [Christmas] with Kate Thornton at her house and she made the most ridiculous amount of food I've ever seen in my life. We live on the same street in London and our boys are really good friends. We're so close, in and out of each other's houses all the time."

Courtney Pochin