Maria Connor
| Maria Connor | |||||||||||||
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| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Samia Longchambon | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2000– | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 19 May 2000 | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jane MacNaught | ||||||||||||
| Book appearances |
Coronation Street: The Complete Saga (2008) |
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| Spin-off appearances |
What Would Kirk Do? (2014–15) | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Occupation | Kennel Maid Hairdresser Personal Assistant |
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| Home | Prison | ||||||||||||
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| Father | Eric Sutherland |
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| Mother | Dot Sutherland |
| Brothers | Kirk Sutherland |
| Husband |
Liam Connor (2008) Pablo Duarte (2016–) |
| Sons |
Paul Connor Jr. Liam Connor Jr. |
| Aunts | Ruby |
Maria Jane Connor (also Sutherland) is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by actress Samia Longchambon. The character first appeared on-screen on 19 May 2000. During her time on the show, Maria has been the centre of major storylines. In late 2009 Ghadie took maternity leave and Maria was off-screen from November 2009 until June 2010. Ghadie took a second maternity leave in 2015 and Maria was off-screen from October 2015 until April 2016.
Maria is first seen working in the kennels belonging to her father, Eric (Steve Money). Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmey) bring Tyrone's greyhound, Monica, in to look for a stud to mate with. Maria and Tyrone are immediately attracted to one another and the pair start a relationship. Tyrone proposes to Maria on Blackpool Tower and she happily accepts. However, their relationship quickly dissolves as Tyrone succumbs to his feelings for Fiz Brown (Jennie McAlpine), leading a heartbroken Maria to terminate their engagement.
Later, she romances Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas). After deciding to change careers, she takes a hairdressing course. She is then hired by Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) at the salon as a junior stylist, but does not get along with Audrey or fellow stylist Maxine Peacock (Tracy Shaw). Maria ends her romance with Jason after discovering that he had sex with Candice Stowe (Nikki Sanderson). She and her friend Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) later move into the flat above the salon, having become good friends on a trip to Blackpool, where Maria saved Fiz from being arrested after Maria's brother Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment), who had followed them on the trip with Fiz, Tyrone and Jason, broke into an empty caravan to find a place to stay without telling the others. Maria attends Gail Platt (Helen Worth) and Richard Hillman's (Brian Capron) wedding in July 2002, where she meets Gail's son Nick Tilsley (Adam Rickitt). Maria realises she has fallen in love with Nick and they commence a romance. They decide to run away to Canada, with Maria turning Tyrone down when he comes to the airport to beg her to stay. Nick worked all hours, leaving a bored Maria home alone. She dumps him and returns soon after. Upon her return, she takes a job at the Rovers Return pub and changes her image, becoming more promiscuous and fashion-conscious. Maria moves back into the flat where Fiz had moved in her absence. There is an uneasy truce between the former rivals for Tyrone's affection, especially since Fiz is now seeing Kirk and Maria is unhappy about her brother spending so much time in the flat, but the pair soon become close friends. Maria has a casual relationship with Vikram Desai (Chris Bisson) and is pleased when he takes her on holiday abroad, unaware he is merely using her as cover for drug smuggling to pay off his debts. When Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) finds out what Vik is up to, he forces him to leave town without saying goodbye to Maria. In late 2002, Toyah arrives home with a new boyfriend, her tutor from college, John Arnley (Paul Warriner). Maria ends up having a one-night stand with John in January 2003 but is shocked when John wants nothing to do with her afterwards. Fiz discovers Maria and John's affair but keeps the secret. However, she struggles to conceal it when Maria announces she is pregnant. Maria later has an abortion but when Toyah finds out she slept with John, Maria denies responsibility, leading Toyah to believe John raped Maria and attack him. When Toyah realizes the truth, she refuses to forgive Maria and leaves Weatherfield, resulting in her family blaming Maria for driving her away.
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