11. Ken Barlow and Deirdre Langton/Barlow/Rachid/Barlow 1979-1990, 1999- (132 votes)
They’re one of the longest running partnerships on the cobbles, with their on/off relationship beginning in 1979. Having beaten Mike Baldwins for Deirdre’s hand, Ken married her in 1981 and became a loving stepdad to Tracy. But by 1982, Deirdre had become bored of Ken and was yet again swooned by Mike and they had a headline-grabbing affair. When he found out, Ken had a showdown with both Deirdre and Mike and the Barlows decided to give their marriage another go. Ken then went on to establish his own newspaper The Weatherfield Recorder while Deirdre worked at the Corner Shop. In 1986, Ken adopted Tracy.
By the end of the 1980s, they were a power couple – Ken a newspaper editor and Deirdre a councillor, having challenged Alf’s seat in 1987. But in 1989, Ken had an affair with Wendy Crozier that ended the marriage which was a shock to Ken. During their hiatus, they took an interest in each other’s lives and maintained a close friendship, to many of their partners’ chagrin. Deirdre supported Ken through his problems with Denise Osbourne while Ken was on hand to support Deirdre during her disastrous romances with Phil Jennings and Jon Lindsay. They also united to support Tracy through her rebellious phase in her teens.
They nearly reunited in 1994, but it was in 1999 that they finally did, thanks to Blanche’s meddling. Despite Deirdre having an affair with Dev Alahan in 2001, they remarried in 2005. But their second marriage has also been challenging with Tracy going to prison for murder; Ken reconnecting with his son Daniel and then staying with Denise while separated from Deirdre; Ken having an affair with Martha Fraser; and Deirdre falling for Lewis Archer in 2010. They have also become the mediators and counsels of their dysfunctional family in recent years.
Are you fans of Ken and Deirdre? Should they be at 11? Or do they deserve to be in the top 10?
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