LIFE in the cobbles has often become too much for some of its residents, prompting them to dash off for a fresh start.
Zoe Tattersall couldn’t get far enough away from Coronation Street. Get the lowdown on the former character.
Zoe was one of Corrie’s troubled teens
She fell pregnant at an early age
She abruptly left after a year in the cobbles
What happened to Zoe Tattersall on Corrie?
Zoe Tattersall was portrayed by Joanne Froggatt from 1997 to 1998 and was one of Weatherfield’s troublemaking teens.
The youngster lost her father to alcoholism, living alone with a single mother and her constant stream of boyfriends.
The final straw came when the latest one became physically abusive towards her, prompting her to run away and live in the rough with her friends.
At the age of fifteen, Zoe found out she was pregnant by her wayward boyfriend Liam Shepherd and considered an abortion out of fear she couldn’t give her baby the life it deserved.
Instead, Zoe embraced motherhood, ready to take her role seriously.
She first rocked up the cobbles when she began to visit the arcade where Judy Mallett worked alongside Liam.
After two months of havoc, including blackmail in a bid to extort money out of Judy and her husband Gary, Liam fled Weatherfield, abandoning Zoe altogether.
The young mother appeared on the Malletts’ doorstep and, taking pity on her, the couple took her in with Judy being willing to adopt Zoe’s unborn baby.
Gary disapproved which later led Judy to buy the baby from Zoe for £2,000.
But there was soon a change of heart and the couple both agreed to raise Zoe’s baby as their own with Leanne Battersby being the only one aware of the plan.
Zoe went into premature labour but eventually gave birth to a healthy baby girl the Malletts named Katie, with Gary being listed as the father on her birth certificate.
Soon after the birth, Zoe stuck around at No.9 but quickly left when she received her money to find Liam with the help of Ashley Peacock.
But money ran out fast and when Leanne visited her, Zoe was found broke and living at a hostel, right back to square one.
Zoe was brought back to No.9, to the surprise of many, amid baby Katie’s christening party and with Judy terrified she was going to ask for more money.
However, Zoe made it clear – she only wanted to see her daughter.
After striking up a friendship with him, Zoe moved into No.4 with Ashley, struggling to live opposite her daughter.
Her emotions soon overwhelmed her and Zoe stole Katie away when Gary’s back was turned, renaming her Shannon Jade.
But it soon became clear she couldn’t give her daughter the upbringing she needed and Liam desperately tried to get rid of baby Shannon by offering her back to the Malletts.
The baby drama eventually brought Zoe back to Weatherfield once again but in April 1998, Shannon became seriously ill as Leanne and Nick were babysitting.
An ambulance was called but it was too late – Shannon passed away at only eight months old of meningitis.
Shannon’s death took a toll on Zoe’s mental health, which was made worse when she found out the Malletts were expecting a baby, and Ashley got her sectioned.
She returned, softening up and realising Ashley had her best interests at heart but she spiralled when Fiona Middleton left her with her son Morgan.
Zoe took the child, attempting suicide by drowning, but was saved and taken away by the police.
Following a lengthy period of redemption, and finding out Judy had cheated on Gary to obtain the money she needed for Shannon, Zoe tried to make amends with Fiona, moving in with Ashley once again.
She then found solace with the Etheric Foundation aka the Cult of Nirab.
As Zoe became indoctrinated into the cult, Ashley desperately tried to save, going as far as to kidnap her – but it was all in vain.
Zoe was chose to a sexual partner for the cult’s leader, Ben Andrews, and soon left for a new life in America with the Foundation.
She hasn’t been seen or heard from ever since.
What TV shows has Joanne Froggatt been in since Coronation Street?
Hailing from Littlebeck in North Yorkshire, Joanne Froggatt is an accomplished actress who began her career in soapland.
The 42-year-old appeared in Weatherfield for the first time in 1997 as Zoe Tattersall, following a brief stint in The Bill one year earlier.
Joanne’s stay in the cobbles ended in 1998 and she moved on to appear in plenty of TV shows in the likes of Casualty, A Touch Of Frost, Murder in the Outback and The Royle Family, among many others.
But it wasn’t until 2010 that her career skyrocketed to international recognition when she took on the role of Anna Bates in period drama series Downton Abbey.
Joanne portrayed the maid for five years and received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series as a result.
She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2014.
Joanne then moved on to many other series, taking the lead role of Laura Neilson in ITV’s Liar from 2017 to 2020.
Viewers may also recognise her from her appearances in The Commons, Angela Black and Sherwood.
Aside from her thriving TV career, Joanne has had several stints on the silver screen in films like Mary Shelley, One Last Thing and A Crooked Somebody.
She also worked as a producer in 2016 on the movie Starfish.
Meanwhile, Coronation Street continues to air Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8pm on ITV.
Joanne Froggatt began her acting career in soapland
Her career took an international turn in 2010
