Susan Owen (born 2 September 1963) known professionally as Sue Cleaver, is an English actress. She is best known for playing Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2000 to 2025. In 2024 Cleaver became a panellist on Loose Women.

Early life

Cleaver was born on 2 September 1963 in Barnet, Hertfordshire. She is adopted; however, she reconnected with her birth mother when she was in her twenties and discovered she had two half-sisters, one of whom is the actress Kate Harbour.

Career

She studied at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre, and her first television appearance was a small part in an episode of A Touch of Frost. She went on to star in the acclaimed drama series Band of Gold before landing a role in the film Girls' Night alongside Julie Walters and Brenda Blethyn.

In 1998, she played Duty Sgt. Standish in the first series of The Cops, and also played Glenda, a woman delivering baked goods in Victoria Wood's BBC comedy series dinnerladies, appearing in four episodes from 1999 until 2000. She appeared as PC Sylvia Holland in This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, a miniseries, in 2000. She also had a small part in the Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett film The Man Who Cried. It was after filming that role in 2000 that she was cast as Eileen Grimshaw on Coronation Street. Cleaver won praise for her portrayal of Eileen, the mother of a son, Todd, who struggles with his sexuality and comes out as gay.

Cleaver covered for Denise Robertson as the agony aunt on the ITV daytime programme This Morning until Robertson's death in 2016. Cleaver also completed three years of training to become a psychotherapist.

In 2022, Cleaver was a contestant on the twenty-second series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She placed 9th after sixteen days in the jungle.

In 2023, Cleaver made a guest appearance on the ITV show Loose Women, and then became a regular panellist.

In 2024, Cleaver published her first book, A Work In Progress, through Bloomsbury.

Personal life

Cleaver was married to James Quinn between 1993 and 2003; the marriage produced one child. She later married Brian Owen, a lighting technician, after meeting him on the set of Coronation Street.

In March 2010, Cleaver was arrested for drink-driving. She was banned from driving for 17 months and ordered to pay a £1,000 fine.

Charity

Cleaver is patron of the charities Prevent Breast Cancer and When You Wish Upon a Star.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

See also

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

References

External links

• Sue Cleaver at the British Film Institute