Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

10. Alec and Bet Gilroy

Seventeen years after she became a permanent resident on the street and after many conquests, busty Rovers landlady Bet Lynch finally got married. But it was to a man who was completely different to her other boyfriends – bumbling Alec Gilroy. At first they were business rivals – Bet at the Rovers and Alec at the Graffiti Club. When the Rovers was being refurbished after the fire, the club boomed in business and when the pub reopened, Alec was best not pleased. But he came to Bet’s rescue when she had money problems, becoming manager of the Rovers. A business partnership turned into romance and Bet’s friends were amazed when she married him. Their marriage went better than expected, although Bet’s miscarriage in 1988 strained it somewhat. It was filled with sarcastic banter and as well as running the pub, Alec also ran a theatrical agency which also flourished, mainly with cruise liners. He was also jealous of Bet’s friendship with Mike Baldwin and Jack Duckworth – also aware that they were previous boyfriends. In 1992, after five years the marriage ended when Alec chose a job in Southampton over Bet and the Rovers and they divorced. Alec returned in 1996, but by then Bet had left.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

11. Len and Rita Fairclough

When Rita Littlewood first appeared on the cobbles in 1964, Len had just divorced his wife Nellie and was busy chasing Elsie Tanner. It would be in 1972 that she would reappear. She found herself attracted to Len and they began a romance. She was a nightclub singer and he a builder and their relationship was tempestuous. In 1973, Len bought a newsagent, called it ‘The Kabin’ and installed Rita as manageress. Their relationship nearly ended in 1974 when Len favoured a council scheme to demolish Coronation Street. He confided in Rita who blabbed. By 1975, they had rebuilt their relationship. In 1977, Rita got a singing offer in Tenerife and accepted. At the airport, she realised she loved Len and married him shortly after. Shortly after their wedding, Rita left Len over his stubbornness to make improvements at their home at 9 Coronation Street and she still envied next door neighbour Elsie who Len held a flame for, but they later reconciled. In 1981, Rita became broody and as they were too old to adopt, they fostered John Spencer and later Sharon Gaskell. In 1982, they moved next door to No. 7. Rita was devastated when Len was killed in a car crash in 1983. She was later shocked when it was revealed he had been visiting his mistress.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

12. Kevin and Sally Webster

The Websters’ marriage is one of Coronation Street’s longest onscreen marriages – lasting 21 years, off and on. They first met in 1986 when Kevin ruined Sally’s boots by driving through a puddle while she waited for a bus. They hit it off and began a courtship – much to Kevin’s landlady Hilda Ogden’s chagrin, who found Sally’s family the Seddons ‘common’. They were married in a few months and bought 13 Coronation Street from Hilda after she left the street. In 1990, Rosie was born followed by Sophie in 1994. Their marriage was secure until Kevin embarked on an affair with Natalie Horrocks. Although Sally forgave him, the marriage collapsed after her affair with Greg Kelly and they soon divorced. Kevin went on to marry Alison Wakefield in 2000 and son Jake was born soon after. By the end of the year, both Kevin’s new wife and son had died. Kevin and Sally soon find themselves in each other’s arms and in 2002 they remarried. During their second marriage, the couple have had to cope with teenage daughters, Rosie being kidnapped by John Stape and Sally being diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2009, Kevin embarked on an affair with Molly Dobbs – still unknown to Sally.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

13. Jack and Annie Walker

The Walkers were the first double act in Coronation Street, appearing in the very first episode in 1960. What made them popular was their personality clash – Annie with her snobbishness and megalomania and Jack with his broad Lancashire accent and friendly approach. When they were introduced, Jack and Annie had been married for 23 years and had grown up children Billy and Joan. Being the landlord and landlady of the Rovers Return, the Walkers were at the centre of all the drama on the cobbles. As well as performing the soap’s earliest comic scenes, Jack and Annie also starred in some dramatic storylines that included Frank Turner blackmailing Jack and Annie being kidnapped as well as son Billy popping in and out of their lives, usually in debt. Humorous storylines included Annie accusing Jack of having an affair with Elsie Tanner. In 1964, Jack and Annie became Lucille Hewitt’s guardians after her father Harry and his wife Concepta left for Ireland and she gave them a new lease of life. The partnership lasted a decade. It ended due to Jack’s untimely death of a heart attack in 1970. After Jack, Annie had some gentlemen friends that included Gerald Prince, Arthur Dewhurst and Arthur Harvey, but none matched up to Jack.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

14. Les and Janice Battersby

Les and Janice, with daughters Leanne and Toyah, moved into 5 Coronation Street in 1997. While Les was unemployed and an ex con, Janice secured a job at Underworld factory. The minute they arrived, they caused havoc – clashing with neighbours Curly Watts and Des Barnes. Soon after they moved in, Les found out he had a son called Greg Kelly, a psycho who abused Sally Webster and was later imprisoned. Despite their constant rows, Les loved Janice (despite struggling to show it at times) but when he bought a deep-fat fryer for their anniversary, it seemed their marriage had run its course. In 2001, Janice had grown tired of Les and began an affair with his best mate and lodger Dennis Stringer, who was dating Eileen Grimshaw. Janice left Les for Dennis. Les, heartbroken, felt suicidal and tried drinking himself to death. Dennis rescued him, but on the way to the way to the hospital, they rowed and they crashed the car. Dennis died, Les survived. Janice was heartbroken and blamed Les for killing the man she ever loved. Despite trying to woo Janice (to no avail), Les met loudmouth Cilla Brown and married her. Janice meanwhile has had relationships with Mick Hopwood and Roger Stiles.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

15. Dev and Sunita Alahan

Sunita Parekh was an employee at one of Dev’s seven shops, after she fled from her arranged marriage in India. Soon enough, Dev hired her as an assistant at the corner shop and she moved into the flat. Sunita dated Ciaran McCarthy and planned to marry, but they didn’t. Dev, meanwhile, was dating lawyer Maya Sharma. Soon enough, Dev found Sunita behaving oddly and when she collapsed in the shop it was revealed that she had a brain tumour. Dev later proclaimed love to Sunita and dumped Maya who was not pleased. Dev and Sunita got married in 2004. Maya appeared again, wanting revenge. She framed Sunita for bigamy and Sunita was sent to jail for a while. Dev sorted things out and Maya was arrested but freed. Her next step was burning Dev’s shops, keeping Dev and Sunita hostage in the flat and then setting fire to it. They were saved and Maya then tried to run them over. She crashed into a lorry and was sent to a hospital. The Alahans settled to marital life and twins Aadi and Asha were born in 2006. The marriage ended when Sunita found out that Dev had fathered children from his shop assistants and divorced him. They reunited in 2010.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

16. Richard and Gail Hillman

Gail Platt met suave financial advisor Richard Hillman at friend Alma’s funeral. He fell for Gail and he soon moved in with her. But Richard had a dark side to him. He was a fraudster who apparently had conned elderly people, and he was doing the same to neighbours Emily Bishop and the Duckworths. Richard was not only a fraudster, but a murderer as well. He left Duggie Ferguson for dead and hit ex wife Patricia on the head with a shovel. With two deaths on his mind, he married Gail in 2002. Over the next months, Richard’s business suffered and was desperate for money and when he learnt the worth of mum in law Audrey, he tried to kill her by setting her house on fire. Audrey survived and realised that Richard was responsible. Her accusations led to her being estranged from Gail. Failing to kill Audrey, he moved on to Emily. While trying to kill her, he managed to murder Maxine Peacock. Gail suspected him and confronted him and he confessed. He was on the run for weeks before returning to kidnap the family and driving them into the canal. Only Richard perished. Gail and her family have been affected since.

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