Frankie Baldwin | |||||||||||||
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Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||
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Portrayed by | Debra Stephenson | ||||||||||||
Duration | 2004–2006 | ||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 5776 6 June 2004 | ||||||||||||
Last appearance | Episode 6458 31 December 2006 | ||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
Introduced by | Tony Wood | ||||||||||||
Spin-off appearances | Coronation Street: Pantomime (2005) | ||||||||||||
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Frankie Baldwin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street , played by Debra Stephenson. She was introduced as part of the Baldwin family along with Danny Baldwin (Bradley Walsh), Jamie Baldwin (Rupert Hill) and Warren Baldwin (Danny Young). She made her first appearance during the episode airing on 6 June 2004. Stephenson quit the role in 2006 and Frankie departed on screen on 31 December 2006.
Glamorous Frankie met her husband Danny (Bradley Walsh) when she worked as a babysitter for his son Jamie (Rupert Hill). Even though he was still married to his first wife Carol, Frankie could not resist sleeping with Danny, as she had fallen in love with him. They had a son of their own, Warren (Danny Young), and she also became close to her stepson Jamie after she married Danny. He cheated on her numerous times, but she continued to forgive him until he cheated on her with Jamie's girlfriend Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson).
Upon entering Weatherfield, Frankie appeared stuck up and prissy, eager for Danny to sell the house they shared in London so they could move into somewhere more suitable. Frankie exploded when she discovered Danny had slept with Sunita Parekh (Shobna Gulati), and declared war on her. This perhaps is what drew her to Sunita's nemesis Maya Sharma (Sasha Behar). However, after learning of Maya's true nature, she apologised to Sunita and forgave her.
After a while, Frankie began to settle into the street more - especially after striking up a bond with Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn). When Vera was ill, Frankie took care of her by doing her chores for her, filling in her job for her and advised her husband Jack (Bill Tarmey) to be more sensitive and attentive to Vera's needs. This led to Frankie securing a permanent position at the cafe, where she works with enemy Leanne.
Frankie saw Leanne as not worthy for Jamie, and became suspicious of her cheating on him. Frankie discovered Leanne's affair with her husband Danny when Leanne lost her phone. Leanne and Danny had arranged to meet at a hotel but Leanne cancelled at the last minute. Annoyed, Danny rang her phone and said all the things he wanted to do to Leanne - not aware that Frankie was on the other end of the line. Frankie chucked Danny out and from then on she lived with Jamie, and Jamie's mother Carol (Lynne Pearson). But after Carol accused Frankie and Jamie of sleeping with each other, Frankie kicked Carol out, and Carol left the street for good.
Danny, regretting losing her and scared at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Leanne, begged Frankie to take him back. Frankie remained strong and the divorce went ahead, with Frankie moving boyfriend Nathan in just days before. She celebrated her divorce by jetting off alone for a holiday in her newly acquired Villa in Spain.
In October 2006 Frankie's former stepson Jamie declared his love for her at Fred Elliott's (John Savident) funeral and they kissed but the revelation shocked her and drove her back into the arms of ex-husband Danny. However she couldn't resist Jamie's advances and they embarked on a relationship, much to the disgust of the other residents of the street. The news also led to Danny disappearing.
Frankie and Jamie decided to head to Spain to start afresh, but at the last minute on New Year's Eve 2006, Frankie got cold feet. She ended it with a devastated Jamie, and left to stay with a friend in Essex. As she departed in a taxi, Jamie was consoled by friend Sean Tully (Antony Cotton). at midnight Jamie received a call from father, Danny, telling him he had sold the flat and he was "sorry" to hear about his break up with Frankie.
In 2009, Roy (David Neilson) and Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh) are invited to Frankie's wedding to a footballer in Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday , but they arrive a week late. [1] Frankie lets them stay in her villa while she is honeymooning.
On 6 May 2004, it was announced that former Bad Girls actress Debra Stephenson had joined Coronation Street as Frankie. [2]
One storyline in 2005 saw Frankie's husband Danny have an affair with Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson). Frankie later discovered the affair when she answers Leanne's mobile and finds her husband is on the other end. Danny had organised to spend another night with Leanne holed-up in a hotel room. When Leanne doesn't show, Danny rings her to find out where she is, but he does not realise it's his wife answering the phone. Seeing her husband's name come up on the mobile, Frankie has answered, and mimicked Leanne's voice. Danny, who has told his wife he is away on business, says he has booked the best hotel room. Frankie tells him: "It's not Leanne, it's me," and orders Danny to come home. Frankie kept the affair secret in order to protect Danny's son Jamie (Rupert Hill). [3]
On 14 May 2006, it was announced that Stephenson had quit her role as Frankie. Stephenson said: "I had originally only planned to stay for two years but I didn't anticipate how much I would enjoy playing Frankie. I'm also keen to pursue other acting projects and I'm very excited about what the future holds." A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Debra has been a great asset to the show and her portrayal of Frankie Baldwin has been fantastic. However, when she joined the show we were aware that she only planned to stay for two years and we fully appreciate her reasons for leaving. We wish her every success for the future." [4]
Danny Baldwin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Bradley Walsh. The character first appeared on 31 May 2004 and made his departure on 31 December 2006.
Jamie Baldwin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rupert Hill. He first appeared in 2004 and left in 2008, returning briefly in 2011.
Michael Vernon "Mike" Baldwin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Johnny Briggs. He first appeared on 11 October 1976 and became one of the show's central characters until his final appearance on 7 April 2006.
Leanne Battersby is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jane Danson. It was announced in February 1997 that a "family from hell" would be introduced to Coronation Street. This included Les and Janice Battersby, Les' daughter Leanne and Janice's daughter Toyah. Leanne made her first appearance on 4 July 1997. Danson left the series on 23 August 2000 and returned on 7 June 2004. Danson later took maternity leave in 2006 and returned in early 2007. Danson took another maternity break in 2009 and returned in the same year. On 27 September 2017, Danson took an extended break from the show and returned three months later on 15 December 2017.
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Sunita Alahan was a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Shobna Gulati. She made her first screen appearance on 23 March 2001 and remained in the show until 2006, when the character was axed from the serial by producer Tony Wood. In 2009, Sunita returned to Coronation Street as a full-time character, reintroduced by producer Kim Crowther. In November 2012, Gulati announced that she had quit the soap once more, this time permanently. Sunita died on 3 April 2013 as she succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the Rovers Return fire, caused by her illicit ex-lover Karl Munro.
Kelly Crabtree is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Tupele Dorgu, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 6 September 2004. On 6 November 2009, it was announced that Dorgu had decided not to renew her contract which meant that her character would depart the show in March 2010. She made her last appearance on 19 March 2010.
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Liam Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008.
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Stella Price is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Michelle Collins. Collins' casting was announced in April 2011 and she began filming her scenes in May. The actress commuted from north London to Manchester for filming. Collins joined the show in order to have the financial security to ensure that her daughter could go to university. Collins, who is from Southern England and was previously well known for her role as Londoner, Cindy Beale on BBC's EastEnders, used a Northern accent for the role of Stella as Coronation Street is set in Manchester. She made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 June 2011. Stella was introduced along with her boyfriend, Karl Munro, and her daughter, Eva. The following year, Stella’s mother, Gloria was also introduced. In August 2013, it was announced that Collins would be leaving the soap and she filmed her final scenes on 19 February 2014. Stella departed on 2 April 2014.
Joanne Jackson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Zaraah Abrahams. Abrahams was cast on the soap when she was still in school and she relocated from London to Manchester for the role. Joanne was introduced along with her "twin sister" Jessie as new workers at the local lingerie factory, although it was later revealed that Jessie is actually Joanne's cousin. Joanne was characterised as being in Jessie's shadow, whilst Abrahams believed that Joanne was a nice and selfless person who wanted a simple life. Joanne's storylines have focussed on her failed attempts at romance with Nathan Harding and Jamie Baldwin. Joanne later has relationships with Jamie's cousin Adam Barlow and her boss Liam Connor. A later storyline saw Joanne reveal that she is an illegal immigrant and her subsequent arrest by immigration officers. In April 2007, it was announced that Abrahams would be leaving the soap and she made her last appearance as Joanne on 20 July 2007. Abrahams looked back at her time on Coronation Street fondly, calling it a great stepping stone. Critics have noted that Abrahams is well-known for her role as Joanne, and they have referred to the character as brassy, scheming and a mainstay on the soap.