Anne Foster was a character in Coronation Street, who appeared as part of a storyline in which her son Frank Foster was accused of raping his ex-fiancé Carla Connor from September 2011 to March 2012, which concluded with her killing him. She appeared as the secondary antagonist during the storyline, although could just be seen as a tragic figure as she did believe her son was innocent.
She is played by Gwen Taylor.
Biography
Anna Foster first appeared alongside her husband Sam at their son Frank's engagement to Carla Connor on the 4 September 2011. During the celebration at the Bistro on Coronation Street a drunken Carla got cold feet and left, with Frank following her. Carla ended up crashing his car into the bookies down the road, however Frank put her into the passenger seat and took the blame to avoid her going to prison (as she was already banned from driving at that point).
A couple of weeks later Carla called off the engagement as she was in love with another man Peter Barlow. In anger Frank raped Carla, and was later arrested and held in custody. He pleaded his innocence and that Carla was trying to set him up in order to get with Peter. He then sent Anne to act as a protégé in half his share of the factory and keep his presence known to Carla. Frank managed to get out on bail, and had half the machines removed from the factory and taken to another location to continue his own business. She also hired long-running seamstress at Underworld Sally Webster, who had been made redundant by Carla.
When Anne realised how much of the stress of the trial got to Frank she went round to Carla's flat to try and pay her off, with the offer of her getting back half of the business. However Carla turned it down, determined to see Frank sent down.
Devastation followed Anne when her husband passed away while they were on holiday. Anne blamed the stress of Carla's "lies" and later berated her at the factory. She supported Frank during his trial, in which she supplied photographs of Carla kissing Peter to Peter's wife Leanne. Frank was acquitted of the charges and released. However Anne's support for Frank began to waver when he was having an affair behind Sally's back with another businesswoman named Jenny Sumner. Frank used Jenny to pose as a friend and supporter of Carla, getting her sign her remaining share over to Frank. Frank then betrayed Anne, not wanting her involved in the business any longer as she was passed her usefulness.
Anne later overheard Frank taunting Carla over his victory, and threatening to rape her again. Carla fled without noticing Anne, who confronted her son and blamed him for what happened to his father. Frank laughed at her, which angered Anne who then used a glass bottle Carla left behind to smash Frank over the head, killing him.
Carla and Peter became the prime suspects of his murder. Anne kept quiet that she was responsible, and hoped to now acquire Frank's shares to run the factory as it is all she will have left with him, however Carla's best friend Michelle managed to steal the documentation and destroy it, therefore no proof of the deal was made. Sally discovered Anne was the culprit, and she was subsequently arrested for killing Frank and presumably imprisoned.
Trivia
- Anne murdering Frank Foster occurred off-screen, as his death featured as a "whodunnit" mystery with several characters acting as suspects.
- Although it is assumed she has been sent down for killing Frank, her trial or outcome was never specified after her final appearance.
