ITV Coronation Street Tracy Barlow star Kate Ford’s severe health condition that causes crippling pain

Coronation Street star Kate Ford’s life couldn’t be further from the escapades of her villainous character Tracy Barlow.

Tracy, who appears to be leaving the cobbles for now, has built a solid reputation as one of viewers’ favourite baddies in the ITV soap. Since Kate burst onto screens two decades ago, she has played some impressive storylines – from the time Tracy pretended she had slept with Roy Cropper to when she tried to sell her own daughter Amy.

More recently, her future on the soap has been speculated, as she looks set to follow her lover Tommy Orpington, her on-screen husband Steve McDonald’s footballing hero, to Spain. But Kate’s real life is far less chaotic than her fiery on-screen character, and for years has been battling with a debilitating health condition.

Tracy made her Corrie debut all the way back in 1977, with Kate taking on the role in 2002. Kate lives in South London with her son Otis, whose dad is producer Jon Connerty.

Kate and Jon are no longer together and she is a single mum to her son who is now 15. The star recently shared how she suffers from endometriosis, which affects one in 10 women in the UK. Endometriosis is the name given to the condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb are found elsewhere in the body.

Each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape and can lead to inflammation, extreme pain and the formation of scar tissue. Kate has shared on Instagram that she has a tough time with the condition.

When she was filming Corrie, she posted: “Filming #itvcorrie this was a few weeks ago at a time that I was struggling with my #endrometriosis. Luckily got lots of support x just sending a hug out to all those struggling with similar [heart emoji].” Kate has an advanced type of endometriosis, which means she has to deal with pain in different parts of her body, not just her womb.

During the first lockdown in June 2020, Kate took to Twitter sharing: “As someone with grade four endometriosis I realise how much I rely on my massage therapy to help with this. Due to Covid I’ve not been able to visit my therapist for three months. My body is sore I’ll never take this therapy for granted again xx”

Meanwhile, actress Kate told the Mirror she’s enjoying her latest storyline but it’s a little out of her comfort zone. “It’s not easy turning on Tracy’s sexy side – that’s difficult for a 46-year-old woman,” she said. “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.”