Sue Cleaver has spent nearly 25 years portraying Coronation Street’s no-nonsense character, Eileen Grimshaw. After rising to fame in TV hits like Band of Gold and Dinnerladies, she joined the iconic Weatherfield soap in 2000, quickly becoming a fan favorite alongside her onscreen son, Ryan Thomas, and cheeky pal, Simon Gregson.
In Day Two of The Mirror’s exclusive serialisation of her new memoir, A Work in Progress, Sue, 61, shares behind-the-scenes antics that are often just as entertaining as what viewers see on screen.
One such story involved celebrating Ryan Thomas’s 21st birthday. Sue, who was close with Ryan (he played her onscreen son, Jason, for 16 years), had planned to have just a few drinks before heading home, knowing she had an early start the next day. However, the night took an unexpected turn.
“I ended up partying much harder than intended,” Sue admits. “Someone said, ‘Sue, don’t go home, this is what we do.’ So I snuck into the studios, slept in my dressing room, and woke up for makeup. Thankfully, no one was the wiser.”
This wasn’t the only behind-the-scenes nap Sue indulged in. She admits that some of her best lunchtime naps have been on a well-known character’s bed. “If we’re filming in the Grimshaws’ house, I’ll often just kip on the sofa during lunch.”
After 25 years on Corrie, Sue has experienced many dramatic moments, but nothing could have prepared her for the day she was accidentally knocked out for real. In 2012, while filming a fight scene with Judy Holt, who played Lesley (the wife of Eileen’s firefighter boyfriend), things went awry.
“We had a stunt advisor, but during one take, Judy got carried away and accidentally punched me in the face. I dropped like a stone, completely out cold,” Sue recalls. She was rushed to the hospital but returned to work with a clean bill of health. “They even used the sound of the real punch!”
Sue also shares fond memories of filming iconic scenes, such as the infamous 2004 brawl between Eileen and her longtime rival, Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth. Sue and Helen are close off-screen, but their characters’ feuds have led to many memorable fights, including one where Gail straddled Eileen on the cobbles while wearing a blue dressing gown.
“We had to wear knee and elbow pads because it was so physical,” Sue says. “At one point, Helen was sitting astride me on the wet cobbles, and I turned to her and said, ‘What a f*****g stupid way to pay the mortgage.’ We couldn’t stop laughing!”
Sue’s memoir is filled with anecdotes from her time on Corrie, including her occasional late-night visits to the set’s Corner Shop when she ran out of groceries at home. “I’d grab a jar of Bolognese sauce, only a month out of date—it never killed me!”
She also reminisces about the days when the cast used to smoke in the Rovers Return, creating a hazy pub atmosphere. “We had Bass shandy on tap, but back in the day, it was real beer. The fruit flies were the only downside—they loved the shandy!”
Sue’s on-set antics weren’t just limited to filming. She fondly recalls a secret book that she and co-star Simon Gregson used to scribble rude messages in, purely to make each other laugh during scenes.
“It was part of the set dressing, and we’d write ridiculous notes to one another. I’d often come across a drawing by ‘Simon, aged 7’ while mid-scene and completely lose it!”
Away from Corrie, Sue shares more personal stories, including her relationship with her son, Elliott, who is now 28. When he was younger, he often begged her not to attend school parents’ evenings because of her Corrie fame.
“He didn’t want people to see me,” Sue says. “His hormones were all over the place, and the last thing he needed was his mum standing out. It hurt sometimes, but I understood.”
Despite their close bond, Sue admits Elliott might not get around to reading her memoir. “I told him, ‘If you can’t be arsed to read it, I’ll get you the audiobook or mark the pages where you’re mentioned,’” she laughs. “He’s proud of me, but to him, I’m just his mum. He never watched Corrie because The Simpsons were on!”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletterhere.