Katy Carmichael joins ITV medical show Malpractice this week as Verity Robertson.
Things are really hotting up in the tense drama as an inquest opens into the patient’s death, meaning tempers are fraying and the stakes are high.
Katy plays one of the lawyers involved in the court case, but she’ll be a familiar face to soap viewers as she played Peter Barlow’s wife Lucy – the late mum of Simon Barlow – in Coronation Street.
So what’s her story?
Katy Carmichael’s career
Actress Katy Carmichael began her acting career in the National Youth Theatre and then at Bristol University where she met her friends Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, along with David Walliams.
Katy’s first television role – as Connie in the sitcom Bread – came when she was still a student, and she was soon making a name for herself, starring as Twist Morgan in Spaced alongside her old uni friends Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes.
Since then Katy has been super busy starring in films including Dead Babies, based on the Martin Amis novel, TV shows such as One Foot in the Grave, Clocking Off and Cutting It, and playing Melissa Ryan in Waterloo Road.
In 2002 she took on the role of Lucy Richards – later Lucy Barlow – in Coronation Street and was soon part of one of the show’s most talked-about storylines!
Who was Lucy Barlow in Coronation Street?
Lucy Richards met Peter Barlow when he came into her flower shop to buy a bouquet for his girlfriend Shelley Unwin. They hit it off and Peter began an affair with Lucy.
Things took a complicated turn when Lucy gave Peter’s sister Tracy a job though Peter did have an attack of guilt and split from Lucy for a while.
When Tracy told Peter her boss was pregnant, he realised the baby was his. He reunited with Lucy and the pair got married – even though Peter was still engaged to Shelley (not that he’d mentioned that to Lucy, of course!).
Lucy’s baby Simon was born in July 2003, and Peter was delighted.
But not delighted enough to break up with Shelley! In fact, he went on to walk down the aisle with her, too.
Lucy’s revenge
The deception ended when Lucy discovered the truth and turned up at the Rovers to tell Shelley all about what had been going on. She showed a shocked Shelley the wedding photos!
Lucy wasn’t finished though.
She pretended to get back together with Peter, and then announced to the whole Rovers that she was moving to Australia and taking little Simon with her!
Lucy’s death
In 2008, Lucy came back to the UK and told Peter she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer and she needed his help with Simon while she was having treatment.
Lucy passed away later that year, and Peter became Simon’s only parent.
What’s Katy Carmichael doing now?
As well as her role in the gripping drama Malpractice, since leaving Corrie, Katy’s kept busy acting on television and on stage.
She played Hayley Blake, Connie Beauchamp’s nemesis, in Casualty and starred in Moving On, written by Jimmy McGovern.
She’s appeared on stage across the country and has even set up a theatre company. Katy launched an interactive food-theatre show called The Table of Delights.
Is Katy Carmichael married?
Katy is married to fellow actor Tristan Sturrock, who played Zacky Martin in Poldark. He’s also in Malpractice, playing Dr Mike Willett.
The couple have three children and daughter Bronte Carmichael is also an actress. She played Madeline Robin in the Disney film Christopher Robin, alongside her real-life dad!
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV.
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