Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire is now a household name, flaunting two BAFTAs and an Olivier Award nomination.
Yet, the TV alum comes from humble beginnings, as she shoot to stardom playing the young barmaid of the Rovers in the iconic soap Coronation Street – but do you remember her character?
Sarah, 59, first joined the cobbles as Raquel Watts in January 1991 and stole many viewers’ hearts with her unique role until her time on the soap didn’t end in November 1996.
But she delighted fans once again when she returned on January 2000 for one last appearance.
Raquel was a long-serving barmaid at the renowned Rovers Return Inn, which is a particularly popular public house in Weatherfield.
Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire is now a household name, flaunting two BAFTAs and an Olivier Award nomination
Sarah, 59, first joined the cobbles as Raquel Watts in January 1991 and stole many viewers’ hearts with her unique role until her time on the soap didn’t end in November 1996 (pictured with Phil Middlemiss and Kevin Kennedy in 1995)
Before joining the Rovers, she used to work in the supermarket Bettabuy where she met her first husband Curly Watts, played by Kevin Kennedy.
And long before welcoming a daughter, Alice Watts (Annabelle Tarrant), their entangled relationship saw Raquel considering Curly only as a friend, while he loved her from afar.
Under the wing of Bet Gilroy (Julie Goodyear), she then joined the Rovers where she spent the next four years pulling pints and from time to time, taking on some modelling assignments.
Only when Raquel’s on-off lover Des Barnes – played by Philip Middlemiss – continued to repeatedly cheat on her, that the barmaid finally saw Curly with the same eyes.
Despite their mutual love, there was not enough stable foundations for a marriage – and ultimately in 1996 Raquel left him to go for an aromatherapy job in Kuala Lumpur.
In a typical Coronation Street plot twist, Raquel only gave birth to Alice after splitting from the supermarket manager, and eventually moved to France as housekeeper of Armand de Beaux.
She came back to the cobbles in 2000 after falling pregnant with Armand’s baby, asking Curly to divorce officially so she could marry Armand.
During her brief stay, Raquel also informed Curly of his daughter’s existence – as he was completely unaware until that very moment.
In 1996, her role as Raquel earned her a nomination for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards, although she lost out to Dervla Kirwan.
Her beloved character was known for her naivety but also became a pillar of the soap.
In fact, Raquel gets mentioned in an episode later on by Bet Lynch in 2002.
Bet confessed to Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn) that she still occasionally spoke with ex-barmaid, adding she was happy with her French husband and children at a Chateau.
The actress built up a respectable career spanning about four decades in acting, now playing the much-loved police sergent Catherine Cawood in BBC drama Happy Valley.
She joins a star-studded cast including Steve Pemberton (Benidorm), Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abby) and Game Of Thrones’ Karl Davies.
Raquel was a long-serving barmaid at the renowned Rovers Return Inn, which is a particularly popular public house in Weatherfield (pictured in 2000)
When working in the supermarket Bettabuy she met her first husband Curly Watts, played by Kevin Kennedy, and their entangled relationship saw Raquel considering Curly only as a friend, while he loved her from afar (pictured together in 1995)
When Raquel’s on-off lover Des Barnes (Philip Middlemiss) continued to repeatedly cheat on her, she finally saw Curly with the same eyes but there wasn’t enough foundations for a marriage – and ultimately in 1996 Raquel left him to go for an aromatherapy job in Kuala Lumpur
In a typical Coronation Street plot twist, Raquel only gave birth to Alice after splitting from the supermarket manager, and eventually moved to France as housekeeper of Armand de Beaux (pictured in 1999)
The actress built up a respectable career spanning about four decades in acting, now playing the much-loved police sergent Catherine Cawood in BBC drama Happy Valley (pictured on the show last year)
Speaking about the exciting role, Sarah said: ‘Happy Valley is a dark, funny, multi-layered thriller revolving around the personal and professional life of Catherine, a dedicated, experienced, hard-working copper.
‘She is also a bereaved mother who looks after her orphaned grandchild. It’s an emotional, complex, challenging role. I’m terrified, exhausted and freezing cold but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’