A short history of Coronation Street’s Michelle Connor

It’s been 13 years of mostly tears for poor Michelle Connor so it’s little wonder actress Kym Marsh has decided to take a break from Coronation Street.

She’s lost two brothers, a son, and been cheated on by Steve McDonald more than once. But through it all she’s come back fighting.

Here’s the history of Michelle and her time on the cobbles.

Michelle and the Connor brothers

Read more: 10 facts about Kym Marsh – the actress who plays Michelle Connor

Michelle arrived on the cobbles in April 2006 as a singer auditioning for Vernon Tomlin’s band. She was only contracted for four episodes but impressed show bosses so much they extended her contract and then decided to introduce her family in August that year.

Brothers Paul and Liam Connor (Sean Gallagher and Rob James-Collier) arrived alongside Michelle’s son Ryan.

Michelle had given birth to Ryan when she was just 15. His dad was her long-term partner Dean Powell, who was killed in a car accident when Ryan was nine. For five years Michelle had believed Dean had been driving the night of the crash, but she found out it was actually Paul. She lashed out and refused to forgive her brother.

Tragedy struck when Paul was then killed in a car crash himself, caused when he kidnapped Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) who he’d been paying for sex. Michelle didn’t get the chance to see him before he died, so she decided life was too short and made up with Liam (who had also kept the truth surrounding Dean’s death from her).

It was a good job she did, because just over a year later, Liam was hit and killed by a car in a murder organised by Carla Connor’s (Alison King) evil fiance Tony Gordon.

Michelle Connor’s marriage to Steve McDonald and relationship with Robert Preston

Michelle caught Steve’s eye as soon as she arrived on the Street and started working at the Rovers as a barmaid. His mum, Liz, took an instant dislike to her as she thought Michelle was after her man, Vernon.

Steve eventually won Michelle’s heart and they moved in together, but his drunken one-night stand with Becky Granger (Katherine Kelly) resulted in the demise of their relationship. Even his proposal with a very expensive engagement ring didn’t win her back over – she threw it in a skip.

After a stint away singing in a band, Michelle returned and started a relationship with Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy), but after a 10 month cruise together, they realised they wanted different things and he sailed away without her.

She reunited with Steve and together (along with Liz!) they took over the Rovers. They battled through his depression together, got married, and devastatingly lost a child, but stupid Steve’s infidelity with Leanne was one step too far and Michelle ended their marriage.

Losing her home and her job at the same time, Michelle ended up working in the Bistro alongside Robert Preston (Tristan Gemmill) who had a crush on her. They later got together, and she supported him through his fight against cancer.

But his desire to have a baby of his own – and her emotional struggle with having another child – has pushed them apart, sending Robert on a downward spiral.

Michelle Connor and the baby swap

Michelle’s son, Ryan, was a bit of a teen tearaway when he arrived with his mum. But things were only going to get worse when it was discovered that Ryan was swapped at birth and Michelle’s biological son was Alex Neeson.

Alex moved in with Michelle for a while, but caused so much trouble, Ryan ended up moving out and trying to bond with his real parents.

After months of things being awkward, the whole sorry mess was put behind them as everyone agreed to keep the child they’d raised as their own.

But Alex – now Dr Ali Neeson – returned in February 2018 – and has become quite the apple of Michelle’s eye. Much to the annoyance of Ryan, who still feels like the black sheep. Though Ali is the one who committed murder recently – killing gangster Ronan Truman after he threatened Ali’s family.

Michelle Connor loses her baby

Perhaps Michelle’s most heartbreaking storyline was when she lost her son, Ruairi at 23 weeks.

It was made all-the-more poignant as actress Kym had suffered a similar tragedy when her son, Archie, was born prematurely and sadly passed away.

As Steve supported his grieving wife and struggled to come to terms with the loss himself, what made the pain even harder to take was that he’d secretly fathered a child with Leanne.

The truth about Oliver’s parentage came out at his naming ceremony in the Bistro when Steve couldn’t keep quiet any longer, and Michelle was destroyed. She ended their marriage and turned to Robert for comfort.

But Ruairi’s passing continues to impact her and she recently broke down revealing she couldn’t give Robert a child as she couldn’t bear to go through it all again.

A classic Michelle Connor quote

“You’re an idiot… But you’re my idiot.” Michelle hits the nail on the head as she proposes to Steve in front of the whole Rovers following his depression battle.

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