Coronation Street's very own Sue Cleaver, famed for her portrayal of Eileen Grimshaw, is set to grace our screens on James Martin's Saturday Morning, sharing the spotlight with comedian Leigh Francis. The 61-year-old actress has been a staple on the cobbles since 2000. Off-screen, Sue has candidly shared details about her personal life, including her emotional journey of reuniting with her birth mother and her remarkable transformation through weight loss.
Hailing from Hertfordshire, Sue was adopted but later unravelled the story of her biological family, learning she had two half-sisters, both in the acting world - Emma and Kate Harbour. Unaware of her birth mother's identity until her acting career was underway, it was during a production of 'Oedipus' at the Royal Exchange Theatre that a co-star noticed her striking resemblance to his wife. After a few questions about her origins, he made a call to his wife Lesley, exclaiming: "I've found her.
" Sue discovered that her birth mother, Lesley Sizer Grieve, had given her up for adoption as a young 17-year-old single mum. Born Claire Grieve, she was adopted by Fred and Joan Cleaver, who gave her the life she knew. In her memoir, Sue recounts the poignant first encounter with her birth mother at a hotel: "The walk to the door felt like it went on forever.
I felt such a mixture of anticipation, excitement, fear and adrenaline." Their meeting was one of profound connection, as she describes: "We embraced and just talked and talked u.