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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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

17. Reg and Maureen Holdsworth

Reg Holdsworth first met Maureen Grimes in Llandudno in 1968 and they fell in love. It would be 24 years before they would meet up again. Maureen was stacking shelves at Bettabuys, where Reg was manager. They reignited their relationship but there was one problem: Maureen’s mum Maud. Maud disliked Reg and the feeling was mutual. Maureen had to play mediator between her mum and her boyfriend. Reg was desperate to consummate the relationship and a memorable scene is when he lured Maureen to his waterbed. Comically, it flooded after Derek Wilton accidentally drilled through it. They married in 1994 and bought the Corner Shop from Alf Roberts. Maureen managed the shop with Maud behind the counter and the three lived in harmony – Reg a member of the Square Dealers and Maureen a pillar of the community. Only after a year, the marriage turned sour as Reg was posted to a Bettabuys in Lowestoft. While there, due to his unfaithful nature, he found another woman – Yvonne Bannister. Reg left Maureen for Yvonne – who was pregnant with his child.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

18. Ernest and Emily Bishop

After dating many men, Emily Nugent met and fell in love with photographer Ernest Bishop in 1969. They shared the same interests and they became engaged in 1971. They married the following year and moved into 3 Coronation Street. By 1976, Ernest’s photographic business had gone bankrupt and he became the butt of all jokes when he became the first house husband while Emily was the breadwinner. Although they had a secure marriage, it was tested many times. Emily suffered a miscarriage soon after marrying and started a menopause in 1974. In a bid for Emily to connect with young children, they turned to short-term adoption. They also rowed when Ernest became a pianist at the Gatsby nightclub – accompanying Rita Littlewood. Ernest secured a job as a wages clerk at the newly opened factory Baldwin’s Casuals in October 1976 – a job that would cost his life. In 1978, two robbers burst into his office demanding money. While Ernest was trying to reason with them, Mike Baldwin walked in and startled the robbers and the gun went off, fatally shooting Ernest and Emily was left a devastated widow.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

19. Ashley and Claire Peacock

After first wife Maxine was murdered by Richard Hillman in January 2003, Ashley struggled to raise her son Joshua and so hired a nanny called Claire Casey. They fell in love and they married on Christmas Day 2004. On their first anniversary, Claire told Ashley that she was pregnant and Thomas was born in July 2006. When Ashley’s dad Fred Elliott died in October 2006, Claire wished to change his name to Freddie in honour of his granddad. During their six year marriage, the Peacocks have had their fair share of drama, from Claire’s post natal depression, Freddie being kidnapped by disturbed Casey Carswell who also tried to kill Claire and manipulate Ashley by having an affair with him. While Ashley has continued his father’s empire at the butchers shop, Claire has had various jobs, ranging from a bus driver, a helpline worker and currently works on the switch at Street Cars. As well as dramas, Ashley and Claire have starred in comic storylines that include a house swap with the Websters in 2008 and Claire forcing Ashley to have a vasectomy in 2009.

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Top 30 Coronation Street Couples

20. Martin and Gail Platt

Gail Tilsley had been friends with young Martin Platt since his arrival in 1985, but it wasn’t until Gail’s hubby Brian’s death in 1989 that they became closer. Much to ex mother in law Ivy’s chagrin, the relationship developed and Gail fell pregnant. Although thinking of aborting it, she kept the baby and David was born on Christmas Day 1990. Martin and Gail married in 1991 and he adopted Nick and Sarah – Gail’s children with Brian. In 1993, the marriage was tested when Carmel Finnan was hired as the children’s nanny. She was obsessed with Martin and tried to split the Platts up, but Gail soon sent her packing. As Martin was seven years younger than Gail, he was tempted by other women and in 1999 he had an affair with nurse Cathy Power. Gail forgave him but she wasn’t as forgiving when he had an affair with another nurse – Rebecca Hopkins in 2001. They divorced the same year. After their divorce, they still remained close friends due. Martin was genuinely happy when Gail married Richard Hillman in 2002. When Richard tried to kill the family in 2003, it was Martin who saved them from drowning.

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