Coronation Street ‘ minds blown as they realise Sue Cleaver was married to co-star
Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver, who is known for her role as Eileen Grimshaw on the popular ITV soap, was once married to a fellow cast member – a fact that has only recently come to light for many fans.
Sue became a household name after making her debut as Eileen in 2000. As the head of the Grimshaw family, she quickly won over viewers and became a beloved character.
Her character has been at the centre of numerous major storylines, from neighbourhood disputes to her tumultuous marriage to notorious criminal Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre). Eileen’s life in Weatherfield has certainly been filled with drama.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Sue would be leaving the show after a quarter of a century portraying Eileen. The actress later shared that she wanted to explore new opportunities.
Sue is a soap legend(Image: SCU)
Away from the cobbles, Sue is currently married to Brian Owen, an ITV lighting technician. However, she was previously wed to a co-star from Coronation Street, reports Leicestershire Live.
Sue was married to actor James Quinn from 1993 to 2003. Soap enthusiasts will recognise James from his roles in various shows, including Coronation Street.
James has portrayed six different characters on the soap since 1989, starting with factory manager Peter Anderson, who interviewed Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn) for a position at Brown’s Textiles.
He played DS Willets recently
More recently, he played DS Willets intermittently from 2013 to 2021. The detective made appearances following the Rovers Return fire in March 2013 and after Pat Phelan’s crimes were uncovered in 2018.
James has roles in other soaps under his belt too, not just Corrie. In 2011, he popped up in Emmerdale as DS Bedford, a policeman tasked with nabbing the scoundrel responsible for battering Cain Dingle (played by Jeff Hordley).
But hold on to your hats – despite having divorced, James and his ex Sue are keeping things friendly. They even shared the stage in a play titled ‘Marriages Made In Heaven’ back in 2009.
Chatting with the Manchester Evening News then, James quipped: “It’s quite funny to be doing this with Sue. Although we got divorced, we get on well, but we haven’t acted together on stage since we first met in a play in 1991.”
Sue and James are on good terms(Image: ITV)
When Sue’s first marriage to James became the talk of the town, with his photo flashing on Corrie, fan pages went into a frenzy. One eagle-eyed fan posted on Facebook: “Did anyone else know that this policeman on Corrie was Sue Cleaver’s first husband? !”.
The reveal had fans dropping their jaws left, right, and centre, with another fan posting: “No way! I remember him.”
Meanwhile, a third added to the chorus saying, “I didn’t know that.”
