A CORONATION Street fan-favourite is making a shock soap return, The Sun can reveal.
The mischievous characterjetted away to Spain with her footballer boyfriend – leaving husband Steve
McDonald and their daughter Amy behind – following her last stint on the ITV show’s Cobbles.
Sign up for the Corontation Street newsletter
Now Kate Ford, 47 – whose character Tracy Barlow quit the show in April for a sunny life with boyfriend Tommy Orpington – is back at Coronation Street’s iconic Salford set.
A soap source has now told The Sun: “Kate Ford has been spotted at the studios by fans – which means Tracy Barlow is back.
“She’ll make her shock return next week – which will surprise fans as she’s been away since leaving for Spain in summer.”
The Sun has reached out to Coronation Street for comment.
Spoilers for the soap had hinted at her return after learning her father Ken Barlow couldn’t afford his carer Cassie Plummer.
Tracy, whose mum was Deirdre, jetted back to see to Bill Roache’s character after learning Cassie was upping her fees – and the former school teacher couldn’t afford them.
Yet after her return, Ken is struck down by a nosebleed and promptly rushed to hospital.
It remains to be seen how long mum of one Tracy will remain in Weatherfield this time around – while boyfriend Tommy continues to live his life in Spain.
The Sun was first to tease Tracy’s return back in June.
A source at the time said: “Tracy’s a Corrie institution all on her own – she will never be far from the cobbles even when she lives halfway across the world.
Coronation Street legend Tracy Barlow quits Weatherfield for a new life in Spain
“She makes a brief trip back to visit her family and deal with some Barlow family drama.”
Since Tracy’s exit her dad Ken’s health woes have gone from bad to worse.
He suffered a shock collapse and was left with a broken pelvis and needing full-time care.
Coronation Street’s 2024 shock exits
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let’s break down who’s left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.
Meanwhile, actress Kate has opened up about her steamy affair plotline which ultimately saw her jet away with Tommy after realising her marriage with Steve was dead in the water.
She told the Sunday People: “It’s not easy turning on Tracy’s sexy side – that’s difficult for a 47-year-old woman. I’ve got to be honest, I think that’s a lot less challenging to play in your 30s.
“I’m trying not to be too vampy with it, because that would be a bit too much.”
And she opened up about finally having a meaty storyline for herself after a quiet few years.
“I haven’t had a storyline as meaty as this for quite a long time,” she added.
“Me and Simon [Gregson, Steve McDonald actor] haven’t done any kissing scenes for about 10 years, so I was a bit nervous. There’s that initial thing of, ‘Oh, gosh, I’ve only known this person for five days, this is quite strange.’
“Once you’ve done it then you feel OK but I’ve had to come out of my comfort zone a little.”
