Ronnie Clayton is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Emma Stansfield. She made her first appearance on 3 October 2005. Stansfield cried when she found out that she received the role as she believed that her life would change forever. Ronnie was introduced as an applicant of Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) taxi firm. Steve is instantly smitten by Ronnie and he gives her the job, and they soon begin a romance. The romance is threatened by Ronnie's ex-husband Jimmy Clayton (David Crellin), who ends up nearly killing Ronnie and Steve out of rage. After Jimmy is arrested, Ronnie uses his money to treat Steve, which creates further fear. Ronnie later runs over an elderly man when she is texting whilst driving, which was similar to a 2001 real-life case. After she runs off and the man dies, Ronnie frames Steve for the crime, but she is soon caught and arrested, leading to her departure on 11 June 2006. Stansfield said that she received nice comments from people after she began playing Ronnie. Stansfield enjoyed her time on the soap and believed that it was good experience for her acting career. Stansfield later returned to the soap portraying a different character, Penny Finton, in a 2021 episode.
Casting The role was played by Emma Stansfield from 2005 to 2006. When Stansfield found that she received the role, she called her parents and burst into tears. She found it "overwhelming" as she knew that her life was going to change. Stansfield was performing in a play when she received the news and this made it difficult for her to remember her lines when she went onstage after hearing the news. Stansfield said in an interview that her favourite soap opera character was Dot Cotton (June Brown) from rival soap EastEnders, but she loved Coronation Streets Betty Turpin (Betty Driver), calling her a "national treasure". Talking about the differences between her and Ronnie, Stansfield believed that they were both "lively and bubbly" and added that Ronnie likes to have a "good time" and is "fun-loving". However, Stansfield commented that she was not as moody as Ronnie and that she was not manipulative like the character. Stansfield commented that her parents were very proud of her and she later brought them to the set, which led to them appearing as extras in the Rovers Return pub. Stansfield appeared in 56 episodes as Ronnie. Stansfield had worked in theatre prior to being cast on the soap and this was the first time that she found her career being featured in the news. Stansfield found the recognition of being in the soap difficult to get used to at first and initially believed that she would not get recognised due to looking "completely different" from her character, but she called the recognition "lovely" and noted that she had received letters from students who wanted to follow a career in acting and that she had since returned to her old comprehensive school to talk to students interested in going into the industry. Stansfield also had to get used to people taking pictures of her in the street, commenting, "At first I was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights, but you have to accept they're just trying to do their job. You sign up for that treatment when you get your contract from Corrie. That's the way it is". In 2021, Stansfield returned to Coronation Street for one episode as a different character, Penny Finton.
Development Introduction and relationship with Steve Ronnie's first appearance aired on 3 October 2005. In her introduction storyline, Ronnie goes to a job interview to work for Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) cab firm, Streetcars, and she takes a shine to him. Steve hires Ronnie to work for his cab firm due to her looks rather than her ability instead of hiring a more qualified candidate. Stanfield believed that there was an "instant attraction" between the pair, and revealed that Ronnie is confident and tries to look pretty for the interview to beat out "stiff competition". She also teased that hiring Ronnie could land Steve in "hot water". Stansfield revealed in an interview that taxi drivers would often talk to her about her role and tell her how they believed that Streetcars was run badly and that Steve should be working much harder, with Stansfield commenting that she got the urge to point out that it was not real. It is then revealed that Ronnie has not been honest about her background as her "hard man" ex-husband Jimmy Clayton (David Crellin) announces that he is telling all taxi firms to not hire Ronnie, which leaves the workers "shaken". Ronnie offers to leave but Steve does not let her as he is too interested in her. Stanfield explained that Ronnie just wants a fresh start away from her "miserable" life with Jimmy. Steve and Ronnie cannot control themselves and "throw caution to the wind" and end up kissing and having sex. Stanfield believed that the pair would not regret their actions as they are both quite keen, but she teased that it would not be easy to keep Jimmy "at bay" and making it work.
Gregson explained that Steve is completely "doe-eyed" over Ronnie and that Steve believes that she cannot do anything wrong, and added that Steve is having the "best sex" that he has had in a long time. Gregson enjoyed the storyline as it featured "comedy" and light-hearted content in comparison to his previous emotional storylines, with Gregson commenting that he had to be taught how to smile again. Even though Ronnie tells Steve that keeping her in the business is dangerous, Steve does not take it seriously, with Gregson believing that Steve keeps pushing the issue of Jimmy "aside". Gregson believed that whilst Jimmy is not a "big man", he has a lot of people in his underworld who could be dangerous to Steve. Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) advises Steve to tell his colleague Lloyd Mullaney (Craig Charles) about being Ronnie's boyfriend, but Steve decides to keep it a secret so that he can enjoy being with Ronnie and avoid Lloyd's reaction. Gregson opined that Steve was "too busy getting his oats to be bothered!" When Lloyd finds out, he "hits the roof" as he is worried about his safety and the safety of everyone at Streetcars as he has heard about Jimmy's reputation, but Steve "won't have any of it". Jimmy later comes and threatens Lloyd, but Steve does not take it seriously when he hears about it later as he believes that it will eventually "blow over". Stansfield has commented that she and Gregson have the same humour and that he would often make her laugh when they were filming.
Trouble with Jimmy
Steve and Ronnie's fling ends in trouble when Jimmy takes revenge. It was reported that Jimmy would start a hate campaign against the taxi firm and that Steve would get kidnapped at gunpoint by gang boss Jimmy after confronting him in the Rovers. A Coronation Street insider teased, "This will be some of the most dramatic stuff for years and fans will be on the edge of their seats wondering how Steve will get out this sticky situation". In the storyline, Jimmy makes a hoax call to Streetcars and is able to lure Ronnie to an abandoned farm. He and his son Nick Clayton (Paul Simpson) then trap a petrified Ronnie by shooting the tires of her car and although she is able to radio Streetcars, this only drags Steve into the "tense showdown", who rushes to save Ronnie. Gregson explained that when Steve arrives, he crashes his car due to Jimmy shooting his tires and he then steps out of the car with Jimmy holding a shotgun to his face, which finally makes Steve realise how serious the situation is after being in denial until that point and that Jimmy is an insane "genuine hard man". Gregson explained that Jimmy is "unhinged" because he loves Ronnie. When Jimmy gets angrier and smashes Steve's windscreen, Ronnie takes desperate measures and tells Jimmy that she will go back to him, which buys the pair time and calms Jimmy, but he remains angry at Steve and loses it with him for having sex with Ronnie. Lloyd then arrives and distracts Jimmy, which leads to Steve getting hold of the shotgun and they make a "quick getaway" in Lloyd's car, which Gregson called "dramatic". Jimmy chases the three and unsuccessfully tries to run them off the road, which Gregson called a "terrifying ordeal". Gregson was unwell with a throat and chest infection when they were filming the car chase scenes and was taking medication to get rid of it, though he called filming the scenes "a laugh". The actor believed that this experience was a "shock" and a "wake-up call" for Steve and has finally made him realise what he is risking by being with Ronnie, but added that this was not enough to stop Steve being with Ronnie as he is "truly smitten" with her.
Ronnie becomes determined that her first Christmas with Steve will be "one to remember" after spending many years trapped in an unhappy marriage; however, it was teased by Inside Soap that her "over-generous" Christmas gift for Steve could make it memorable for the wrong reasons. Stansfield explained that Jimmy bullied and controlled Ronnie, but also spoilt her financially, and that Ronnie wants to do something special for Steve's Christmas as he makes her happy. Coronation Street producer Tony Wood had teased that it would be clear at Christmas that Ronnie is up to something. He revealed there would be a big present from Jimmy on the table on Christmas Day, showing that he can somehow still get to them from prison. Wood also revealed that it would become clear that there is more to Ronnie than "meets the eye" when she goes to visit Jimmy in prison. Having taken £5000 from Jimmy's secret fund, Steve cannot believe his eyes when he opens the money on Christmas Day and becomes speechless, and he then tells Ronnie that he cannot take the "tainted" money as he believes that it will put in danger of Jimmy. Ronnie initially believes that Steve is overreacting, but when then receives a "stunning necklace" and a visiting order from Jimmy, it becomes clear that her ex knows that he took the money. Stansfield explained that Ronnie is "unnerved" as the necklace is purple, which means bad luck in criminal circles and thus is a message from Jimmy, but she is determined to stand up to him and will not let him ruin her "new-found stability". At the prison, Ronnie tries to "put up a front" and give Jimmy what for, but he threatens her and Steve, with Stansfield revealing that Ronnie is scared despite trying to tell Jimmy that she will no longer put up with his bullying. Despite Jimmy's death threats, Ronnie tells Steve that they will spend the money on a holiday, which puzzles Steve but he accepts that she is telling the truth due to having "blind faith" in her. Stansfield believed that there was "no doubt" that Ronnie loves playing games and that Ronnie loves that two men "adore" her, though the actress hinted that Ronnie was "playing with fire" and that her overconfidence might come back to haunt her.
Framing Steve and departure In April 2006, it was reported that Ronnie would face jail after running over an elderly man whilst sending a text message while driving after a fight with Steve. Meanwhile, Steve cheats on Ronnie with Kelly Crabtree (Tupele Dorgu). It had previously been reported that Steve would go back to his "womanising ways" after his relationship with Ronnie "sours". It was also hinted that the end of Steve's relationship with Ronnie could cause trouble for him due to Ronnie's dangerous connections. After hitting the pensioner, Ronnie checks on him and drives off, with the victim still motionless. She then gives Eileen a fake location to avoid being caught, and she later finds out via the news that the pensioner died. A writer from the Daily Mirror noted the similarities between the storyline and a real life case in 2001 when a lorry driver killed someone that he ran over when he was texting his girlfriend whilst driving.