Could hailing a carriage take Tracy's mind off her failed marriage to Steve? Kate Ford reveals how a flirtatious taxi ride could bring her a new lease of love. (Warning, contains story spoilers).
Q: How does Tracy come to clash with Rob over hiring Steve’s taxi?
A:
Tracy is going shopping in town, she gets in the taxi at immediately the same time as Rob and demands that he gets out as it’s her taxi and not his. He’s not a gentleman and he refuses to move so when Steve asks them where they’re going and they both say the city centre at the same time they share a smile and end going in the cab together. They share a bit of a chat and have a flirt.
Q: What does Tracy think of Rob? Is this the first time she's noticed
him?
A: I think so and she likes the fact that he’s quite feisty, it takes one to know one, kindred spirits maybe!
Q: Is she attracted to him?
A: Yeah I think she is attracted to him, especially because he gives as good as he gets when she starts, he’s not a pushover. If he got out of the taxi she probably wouldn’t have fancied him! It’s the fact that he argues with her, and when she says if you were a gentleman you’d get out and he says if you were a lady I might. He’s got the banter and she likes that about him. He’s quite easy on the eye too, plus he hangs round with Michelle and it might annoy her, that’s another good reason for Tracy.
Q: How does Tracy feel when she gets a divorce petition from Steve through the
post?
A: She feels furious because she can’t understand why he’s blaming her! She thinks if anything she should be the one blaming him, she cannot see it from his point of view whatsoever. She thinks that he caused her to lose the babies by flirting with Becky, he slept with Michelle when they were still married, she thinks that it’s totally unfair that he’s citing her as the reason for their divorce. It says the marriage was irretrievable but in her mind it was retrievable, she can’t understand why what she did was that bad, she’s still really angry.
Q: How prepared is she to give up being Mrs McDonald in name at least?
A: I think she’s weary of it, when Deirdre says just sign it she actually doesn’t put up much of a fight. She’s weary of it, she takes her wedding ring off, gets all dressed up and goes into the Rovers and who should be there but Rob looking her up and down!
Q: Will Tracy now finally give up on Steve or does she still have hopes they’ll be
together one day?
A:
I think she’s given up, she needs to move on now, she gives him the opportunity to retrieve it when he comes round and Steve isn’t interested one bit.
Q: What’s going through Tracy's mind when she turns up at The Rovers, dressed
to kill, and gives Steve the divorce papers?
A: I think she’s really nervous about the fact that she’s got to hold her own, Michelle’s there so she wants to look like she’s in control. She’s nervous but she’s also resolute, she has no qualms about what she’s doing, she wants Steve to think he’s the one missing out on something. It’s a shame really because he’s not!
Q: Is she aware that Rob is amused by her behaviour or is she only concentrating on Steve?
A: There is a point when Rob turns round and starts laughing, she wonders what he’s laughing at and when he follows her outside she asks him why he was smirking. He says he wasn’t laughing at her though, he was impressed.
Q: How does she feel when Rob then asks her on a date?
A:
She’s quite annoyed at first and she says no you were smirking at me but he persists and flatters her so she thinks why not. She doesn’t say yes straight away though, she waits until she bumps into him again in the cafe.
Q: He takes her for a drink in the Rovers – how does it go?
A: She fancies him but when she goes home and thinks about it she realises he works at the factory and starts to think maybe he could get me a job. So in between having a drink with in the pub she just asks him if he’ll give her a job in the factory and he says why not. She can’t believe how easy it is.
Q: Do you, Kate, think Tracy should give up hope of ever getting Steve and just
move on?
A: Yeah as an actress I’m a bit fed up of Tracy going on about how much she loves Steve, I think she needs to move on for everybody’s sake!
Q: Rob is Michelle’s brother-in-law and they are old friends – so could dating Rob be another way for Tracy to get at Michelle... and also Steve?
A: I think what comes into her head first is the possibility of a job at the factory because she wants money, then she realises that it’s also going to really annoy Michelle which is an added bonus. It’s all like a jigsaw for her, it’s too good to be true, I’m sure she thinks she could takeover that factory in time.
Q: Tracy obviously needs a new man to fall properly in love with... Could Rob be the one?
A: I think he’s like a nicer version of Charlie so maybe. He’s got the bad lad streak, he’s ruthless, but he’s not as cruel as Charlie.
Q: There’s a touch of Charlie Stubbs about Rob... Do you, Kate, think Tracy could ever be so driven as to kill again?
A:
I don’t think she ever wants to go back to prison she absolutely hated it, so for that reason no. Also I think she was in such a dark place when she was with Charlie, I don’t think she just killed him for the sake of it, she’d gone a bit mental because he was playing games with her head.
More features on the Coronation Street website
Follow toxic Tracy's latest troublemaking on her storyline page, in videos, pictures and interviews.
Watch episode spoilers of all the unfolding drama.
For extra Corrie
Sign up for the weekly Weatherfield Gazette, follow us on Twitter @itvcorrie or join the chat on Facebook.