Corrie favourite unrecognisable on the cobbles two decades after his death | Celebrity News | Showbiz and TV

Former Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw, who played iconic character Maxine Peacock from 1995 to 2003, now leads a peaceful life with her two sons and beloved dogs, but she recently returned to acting.

The role of pretty, curly-haired blonde Maxine remains the 51-year-old actress' most notable professional role to date, in which she experiences significant storylines and romances with characters such as Curly Watts, Des Barnes, Andy McDonald and Tony Horrocks.

Her character met a tragic end when she was murdered by serial killer Richard Hillman, who had planned to kill Emily Bishop and had broken into Ashley and Maxine's house while Emily was looking after Joshua.

Richard had planned to frame the elderly woman's death as a botched burglary, but his plan was foiled when Maxine unexpectedly came home early. She witnessed Richard beating Emily to death with a crowbar and attempted to escape upstairs, but Richard murdered her in the same brutal manner.

During her time on Corrie, the actress was a popular star in men's magazines and even won the title of “Bum of the Year” in 1996. She also launched a short-lived pop career in 1998, releasing two singles – “Ridin' High” and a cover of Lonnie Gordon's “Happenin' All Over Again”.

After leaving Corrie, Tracy took to the stage and starred alongside Jason Connery, the son of film icon Sean Connery, in the play The Blue Room, the Mirror reported.

In her personal life, Tracy has been linked to several well-known personalities, including actor and singer Darren Day. She was previously married to television producer Robert Ashworth, but they divorced in 2001.

She later fell in love with her childhood friend Ashley Poundall, with whom she has two teenage sons, Louis and Luca.

Speaking on Loose Women in 2019, Tracy revealed that since leaving her prominent role on the ITV soap, she has taken numerous breaks from the spotlight to spend time with her children.

She explained: “It was an enormous pressure just because of the ratings [of Coronation street]. When I had Louie, I went for a walk with Angela [Griffin] with the strollers and it just didn't feel right for photographers to be taking pictures of the boys and they have no choice in the matter.”

These days, Tracy is quite active on social media and describes herself as “single” and a “survivor.” Her posts mostly focus on her outings with her two German Shepherds.

In 2021, she posted a selfie on Instagram from backstage at her stage adaptation of the 1939 classic The Cat and the Canary, in which she played the role of Annabelle. She recently teased her fans with pictures from a recording studio at the post-production company Molinare, but has remained tight-lipped about her latest project.

Still, she dropped hints by tagging the photo with “#film” and “#directorArabella.”