List of Coronation Street Characters (2002) - Lucy Richards

Lucy Barlow (née Richards) is a florist whom Peter Barlow meets while buying a bouquet for Shelley Unwin. He is instantly attracted to her, and an affair begins. Lucy, unknown to Peter, has hired Tracy Barlow to cover her maternity leave. When Tracy tells Peter that her employer is pregnant, Peter realises the child could be his. He later marries Lucy, telling her that he and Shelley have split up. Tracy, however, know different and is happy to keep quiet and be bridesmaid to Lucy and Shelley when he later marries her. Her son Simon is born in early July 2003 but at first Lucy does not want Peter to be involved. She soon discovers that being a single parent is tougher than she thought and gratefully accepts Peter's help.

Lucy, however, finds out the truth after visiting the Rovers and sees Shelley putting her wedding photos into an album and is horrified to see Peter is her groom. She later returns and shows Shelley her wedding pictures, leaving Shelley distraught when she realises that they have married the same man. Now working together, Shelley introduces Lucy and Simon to the Rovers regulars as Peter's secret wife and son but Lucy sees that Peter and Shelley are getting closer to reconciling so she tricks Peter into thinking they have a future together. He then tells Shelley in front of the pub regulars that he, Lucy and Simon are emigrating to Australia as a family but Lucy then reveals that she and Simon are going alone. Peter resigns himself to the fact that he will never know his son, and leaves the Street soon after.

On 24 October 2008, Peter rings Ken from Portsmouth to inform him that Lucy has died of cancer. He and Simon arrive in Weatherfield a few days later, revealing that Lucy's dying wish was for the five-year-old to be with his father. She leaves her estate to him on that condition