TV star poses for stunning new selfie - 22 years after she was brutally killed off in famous soap - but do you remember her?

Daily Mail​

30-04-2025

She waved goodbye to the cobbles over 22 years ago.
But Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw looked younger than ever, as she beamed for a new Instagram selfie on Tuesday.
The actress, 51, famously played Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995, before her character was brutally murdered by serial killer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) in 2003.
During her seven-year stint in Weatherfield, Tracy was regularly voted one of the sexiest women on television and was even awarded with Rear Of The Year in May 1996.
And in the new snap, Tracy looked stunning as she showed off her young complexion while enjoying the British sunshine in her garden.
Still sporting her famous blonde curls, she wore a blue tank top and accessorised with a beaded necklace.
She wrote: 'When you finally have lawn again'.
Maxine had several romances during her time on Corrie, including with characters such as Curly Watts, Des Barnes, Andy McDonald and Tony Horrocks.
She finally tied the knot with butcher Ashley Peacock, though fell pregnant with son Joshua from an extramarital fling with Matt Ramsden.
Ashley chose to forgive her and raise Joshua as his own son, but Maxine met a tragic end at the hands of Richard, after catching him over the unconscious body of Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire), who was babysitting Joshua at the Peacock home.
The notorious soap villain chased the hairdresser upstairs and bludgeoned her to death with a crowbar.
Behind the scenes, it was revealed that Tracy chose to quit the show after bosses ordered her to take a pay cut when re-negotiating her contract.
It was reported that producers had demanded her pay was dropped by £20,000 and her new contract being set at just 12 months, causing her to walk away.
After her exit, Tracy went on to appear in several ITV dramas including the stage play The Blue Room - where she stripped completely naked in the role of Sally alongside Sean Connery's son Jason.
She also previously enjoyed a short-lived pop career, releasing two singles on the Love This Records record label, Ridin' High and a cover of Lonnie Gordon's top 10 hit, Happenin' All Over Again.
She also had a series of high-profile relationships, being romantically linked to Alex Moscovich, Blackburn Rovers star Dwight Yorke and Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall.
Tracy was also briefly engaged to actor and singer Darren Day, before he left her for Hollywood star Isla Fisher.
She eventually tied the knot with TV producer Robert Ashworth, getting engaged after just three months in March 2000.
They said 'I do' in a £100,000 ceremony in June 2001 at Knowsley Hall in Merseyside, but they divorced just two years later.
Tracy then embarked on a romance with her childhood friend Ashley Poundall and went on to welcome her two sons, Louis, 19, and Luca, 18.
However, her current bio on Instagram states she is now single, reading: 'Mother, Actress, single,& survivor'.
After becoming a mum, Tracy made occasional returns to acting, performing in many national tours including Mum's the Word (2010), Busy Body (2011) and The Cat and the Canary (2021) and taking on lead roles in pantomimes in Worthing and Southsea.
She eventually tied the knot with TV producer Robert Ashworth, getting engaged after just three months and marrying in June 2001, but they divorced just two years later (pictured in 2001)
In the past year however, she has returned to screens with roles in Cookster: The Darkest Days opposite Nick Moran, Thirteen Cars with Tamzin Outhwaite, and upcoming drama Finding My Voice.
Tracy regularly shares updates into her life on her Instagram, enjoying walking her two German Shepherds and posting behind-the-scenes snaps from set.
In 2019, she appeared on Loose Women and explained how since leaving her high-profile role on Corrie, she took some time away from the spotlight to focus on her children.
Tracy admitted that she struggled with fame from the soap, recalling how paparazzi would make her uncomfortable by snapping photos of her with her son Louis on walks with co-star Angela Griffin.
She candidly said: 'It was a huge pressure just because of the viewing figures [of Coronation Street].
'When I had Louie, I used to take him out for a walk with Angela with the push chairs and it just didn't feel right to have photographers take pictures of the boys and they haven't got a choice in this.'