Sue Cleaver facts for kids

Susan Owen (born Cleaver on 2 September 1963) is an English actress. She is widely known for playing Eileen Grimshaw in the popular ITV show Coronation Street. She was part of the cast from 2000 until 2025. In 2024, Sue Cleaver also became a regular host on the TV show Loose Women.

Early Life and Family

Sue Cleaver was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, on 2 September 1963. She was adopted as a baby. When she was in her twenties, she found her birth mother. Through this, she learned she had two half-sisters. One of her half-sisters is the actress Kate Harbour.

Acting Career Highlights

Sue Cleaver studied acting at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre. Her very first TV role was a small part in an episode of A Touch of Frost. She then appeared in the drama series Band of Gold. After that, she acted in the film Girls' Night with famous actresses Julie Walters and Brenda Blethyn.

In 1998, she played Duty Sgt. Standish in the first series of The Cops. She also had a role as Glenda in Victoria Wood's comedy show dinnerladies. She appeared in four episodes of dinnerladies between 1999 and 2000. In 2000, she played PC Sylvia Holland in a miniseries called This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. She also had a small part in the film The Man Who Cried, which starred Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett.

Joining Coronation Street

After filming The Man Who Cried in 2000, Sue Cleaver was cast as Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street. She became very well-known for this role. She received a lot of praise for her acting as Eileen, especially when her character's son, Todd, had an important storyline.

Other TV Appearances

Sue Cleaver also helped out on the ITV daytime show This Morning. She filled in as an advice columnist until the original columnist, Denise Robertson, passed away in 2016. Sue also spent three years training to become a psychotherapist.

In 2022, Sue Cleaver was a contestant on the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She spent sixteen days in the jungle and finished in 9th place. In 2023, she was a guest on Loose Women and later became a regular host on the show in 2024.

Published Author

In 2024, Sue Cleaver published her first book. The book is titled A Work In Progress and was released by Bloomsbury.

Personal Life

Sue Cleaver was married to James Quinn from 1993 to 2003. They had one child together. She later married Brian Owen, who works as a lighting technician. They met while working on the set of Coronation Street.

Charity Work

Sue Cleaver supports several charities. She is a patron for Prevent Breast Cancer and When You Wish Upon a Star.

Awards and Recognition

Sue Cleaver has been nominated for and won several awards for her acting.

• In 2006, she was nominated for Best Actress at The British Soap Awards.
• In 2007, she won Favourite Female Soap Star at the TV Now Awards.
• Also in 2007, she won Best Soap Actress at the TVQuick & TVChoice Awards.
• She was also nominated for Best Actress and Best On-Screen Partnership (with Ryan Thomas) at The British Soap Awards in 2007.

See Also

• List of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) contestants