Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney has spoken out on her reaction to the soap’s latest string of exit rumours – and opened up about her dating life following her split from Ricky Hatton.
With Claire Sweeney’s character going through a turbulent time on Coronation Street, the actress reveals she’s not fazed by what’s coming her way – on or off screen. In fact, Claire, 53, tells us that after her pre-Christmas split from former boxer Ricky Hatton, life is “all good”. The pair enjoyed a whirlwind eight-month romance after getting together when they both appeared in Dancing On Ice last year. They had broken up by December and Claire tells us, “I’m not dating at the moment. I’m single. I’ve got my son Jaxon and I’m busy and just really enjoying where I’m at in my career.”
The former Brookside actress became a mum for the first time at the age of 43. Ten-year-old Jaxon’s father is her ex-partner Daniel Reilly. She’s previously opened up about being on her own with Jaxon “since the beginning, practically”, but said she was never lonely without a partner. “I’ve always been very self-sufficient. I’m not someone who needs to have a boyfriend,” she previously revealed on the Sunday Mirror ’s Invite Only podcast. The Liverpudlian also confessed she’s learnt a good lesson from her grandma about holding out and not settling for any less than she deserves.
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“My grandmother met the love of her life when she was 86. He was her 74-year-old toyboy,” she revealed. “She married him and at her 100th birthday, she said, ‘This man’s kept me alive with love and laughter.’ And I thought, if I have to wait that long to meet the right person and make the right choice, so be it… ” Discussing the end of her relationship with Ricky, who she’d known as a friend for about 25 years before they began dating, Claire seems philosophical, previously saying, “I’m great – we’re still friends, we were friends, we dated and now we’re friends again. It’s all good!”
On-screen, meanwhile, Claire’s character, drug addict Cassie Plummer, is a different story. Since arriving in Weatherfield in June 2023, Cassie has brought chaos, comedy and some brilliantly gripping scenes, highlighting her rocky relationship with her mother, Evelyn Plummer, played by Dame Maureen Lipman. As she tells us about sharing the screen with 78-year-old Maureen, Claire’s respect for the actress is clear. “She’s just brilliant,” she says. “You’re there, doing your thing in a scene – then Maureen Lipman comes in and, well, she just takes it to another level. I’m very lucky.” She’s just as tight with her other co-stars, it would seem. “I love working with Simon Gregson [Steve McDonald] and Kate Ford, who plays Tracy Barlow – I love the dynamic with her. I also can’t get enough of the motherly love with Tyrone and Fiz.”
With a career spanning four decades, Claire’s passion for acting remains undiminished. “I love my job, simple as that,” she says. “I still look forward to going to work. As long as I keep that love and passion, it keeps me alive and fresh. It doesn’t feel like work.”
Let’s not forget, there has been drama aplenty behind the scenes, with Coronation Street facing a major cast shake-up in recent times and several big names exiting Weatherfield. Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is bowing out after 25 years, while Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) is set for a dramatic departure. Shelley King (Yasmeen Nazir), Charlotte Jordan (Daisy Midgeley) and Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster) are also leaving.
With so much change happening and fan favourites going, is Claire not even a little worried about her future on the soap? If she is, she doesn’t show it. “Oh, I’m very happy,” she says. “I don’t know much about the cuts or what’s going on. I’m just happy.”
With a career spanning Brookside, the West End (she has played Roxie Hart in Chicago, among other roles) and Britain’s longest-running soap, she must be pretty proud of what she’s already achieved. And she has plans to celebrate her upcoming 54th birthday on 17 April in style. “I think I might go to Majorca,” she says. “One of my closest friends shares the same birthday and, if I’m not working, I like to go to Majorca to be with her and my family.” Sun, sea and sangria? Sounds like she’s living the dream.
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