Eileen Grimshaw (also Phelan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000. Her storylines have often included her relationships with Dennis Stringer (Charles Dale), Ed Jackson (Chris Walker), Pat Stanaway (Sean Hughes), Jerry Morton (Michael Starke), Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson), Paul Kershaw (Tony Hirst), Adrian Mortimer (Mark Moraghan) and Michael Rodwell (Les Dennis), as well as her marriage to serial criminal mastermind Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre).
The character also appeared in the mini-episode crossover between Coronation Street and rival soap EastEnders entitled East Street screened on 19 November 2010 in aid of children's charity Children In Need. In 2011, it was revealed that she and half-sister Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) were related to Coronation Street icon, Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix), as Elsie's first cousin, Arnley Grimshaw, was their paternal grandfather. In 2018, Cleaver took a temporary break from the show.
Storylines
Eileen first appears on 3 May 2000. Vikram Desai (Chris Bisson) gives Eileen a ride in his cab and, impressed by her local knowledge, ends up employing her to operate the radio at his taxi firm, StreetCars, which he runs with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson). She demands £5.50 an hour.
A feisty single mum, Eileen comes from a family of eight. She rents Steve's house and moves in with her teenage sons, Jason (Ryan Thomas) and Todd (Bruno Langley). In the early days, she does not approve of Jason's aspirations to be an athlete. A couple of years later, Todd comes out as gay.
Eileen has had many relationships since the character's introduction. Her relationship with biker Dennis Stringer (Charles Dale) ends when he admits he is love with Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle), resulting in Eileen punching Janice. Following Jason and Candice Stowe (Nikki Sanderson) placing an ad for her in a lonely hearts column in a newspaper, she dates cleaner Harry Flagg (Iain Rogerson) but they decide to remain friends. She dates Ernest Bishop's killer, Ed Jackson (Chris Walker), despite disapproval from most of the Street. It is during this relationship with Ed, a born-again Christian, that Eileen comes to the conclusion that she is agnostic. In 2007, she meets Pat Stanaway (Sean Hughes), who she assumes is married and has an "affair". Pat is not married as he does not like serious relationships as he was dating six other women at the time. She dates kebab shop owner Jerry Morton (Michael Starke), but dumps him in 2008 after he begins taking more of an interest in his children rather than her.
Eileen's arch enemy is Gail Rodwell (Helen Worth) and they have had several fights in the street. The pair constantly spar whenever they cross paths. The feud begins when her son, Todd, moves in with Gail's daughter, Sarah (Tina O'Brien) as Eileen feels that Sarah, a single mother, is holding Todd back from achieving in life. This seems to be proved when Sarah falls pregnant, but the baby, a boy named Billy, died shortly after being born prematurely following a placental abruption. Todd's announcement that he is gay and having an affair with Karl Foster causes a catfight in the street. The two women are at loggerheads again when they are attracted to reflexologist Phil Nail (Clive Russell); Gail eventually wins his affections. This rivalry results in Eileen being the prime suspect when Gail is stalked by someone claiming to be her late husband, Richard Hillman (Brian Capron), in 2006. Eileen is cleared when David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) is revealed as the true culprit. Eileen's son Jason married Gail's daughter Sarah in October 2007, and divorced in 2010.