Tracy Barlow

Tracy Barlow is a villain in Coronation Street. She has been played by many actresses over the years, but is well known for being played by Kate Ford, who has played Tracy when she became a villain.

Biography
Tracy was not always a villain. She was born in 1977 to parents Ray and Deirdre Langton. When her father left a year later, Deirdre later married Ken Barlow and Tracy was adopted by him. Home life could be difficult at times, with Ken and Deirdre cheating on each other and other issues. During her teenage years in the early 1990s, Tracy was moody and loud, and this didn't help with the separation of her parents. In 1994 she took an ecstasy tablet which caused kidney problems. Her mother's new husband Samir Rachid agreed to donate, but was beaten to death by thugs on the way to the hospital. She still got the donation, but Samir had died. In 1997 Tracy married a lad called Rob Preston and moved to London with him.

The darker side to Tracy returned on Christmas Day 2002. She left her husband after cheating on him (which she claimed he cheated on her instead). She drugged local greasy spoon owner Roy Cropper and slept with him. She gave birth to a baby girl called Amy, and claimed it was Roy's, but it was Steve McDonald's, which occurred after a one-night stand with him. Tracy ruined Steve's wedding to Karen by announcing Steve was the father of her child.

In 2006, Tracy began a relationship with builder Charlie Stubbs, who was known for having a temper. When she found out he had cheated on her, she plotted to murder him. She began to claim he was abusing her, and causing herself bruises. In January 2007, she struck Charlie round the head with a blunt instrument two times. She tried to put it down to abuse, but the courts saw through her and sent her to prison for 15 years.

Three-years later, Tracy shared a cell with Gail McIntyre, who was wrongly accused of the murder of her husband Joe. Tracy tried to get an early release by claiming that Gail confessed, but the courts knew she was lying again and dismissed the claim and Gail was released found not guilty. Tracy was then beaten up by some women in prison who took a shine to Gail in revenge. However later in the year, an investigator who worked during Charlie's murder was found to have faked crime scenes before. Tracy was released pending a new trial, and stirred up trouble for the residents, before being beaten up by Claire Peacock. Tracy was found not guilty at her new trial, and set a plan into motion for getting Steve back and breaking him up from his wife Becky. When Steve and Becky separated, Tracy got into a relationship with Steve and fell pregnant to his twins. But after an argument with Becky Tracy fell down the stairs and lost the babies, and stated Becky pushed her. Steve married Tracy out of guilt, but was shocked when Becky showed evidence that Tracy was lying, and lost the kids before the fall down the stairs. Steve then broke up with Tracy.

However Tracy still wanted Steve. When he dated Michelle Connor, Tracy got revenge by dating Michelle's young son Ryan. But he found out what she was really like and dumped her when she attempted to fake a pregnancy.