Coronation Street's Claire Sweeney feared 'best days' were over before job offer

Claire Sweeney made her name on Brookside and is now enjoying success on the cobbles of Coronation Street
-Credit:BANG Showbiz


Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney thought "the best days of her career" had been and gone before her recent success. The 53-year-old star - who made her name on Brookside in the 1990s and has appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing - reflected on the impact joining Coronation Street in 2023 made on her career.

She told Best magazine: "Over the years, when I've been stopped on the red carpet and people have asked me: 'What's your dream job?', it's always been 'Corrie'. But it always just seemed so out of reach for me. Two years ago, I really thought I'd had the best days of my career.

"Then 'Corrie' and 'Dancing On Ice' both happened - and then suddenly I'm in a different place!" Along with her career revival - including a role in the first series of Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder - Claire is focused on finding the right balance as she raises her 10-year-old son Jaxon.

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She said: "I do get a bit of help - I have to because I'm working. My job isn't an ego trip, I've got to pay the bills, I'm just very blessed that I love what I do. Jaxon knows mummy is away working, but then when we get together, the times we have are fantastic."

Claire said she and her son have a genuine bond, and he's made her "beautiful house" feel like a "real home". She explained: "He's my life. I remember pre-Jaxon, when I was touring in musicals, I'd drive back to London after the show and get into my house at one in the morning.

"It was a beautiful house, but it was empty and cold. Now I come in and there are his little shoes there, his things are everywhere and he often wakes up when I get in. It's a real home now."