Sue Cleaver, best known for playing Eileen Grimshaw on Coronation Street for 25 years, has two half-sisters who are also in the entertainment industry: Emma Harbour and Kate Harbour.
Sue Cleaver's Coronation Street Legacy
Eileen Grimshaw made her debut on the cobbles in 2000 and quickly became a fan favourite. She worked as a switchboard operator at Street Cars and was involved in numerous memorable storylines, including romances with Dennis Stringer, Ed Jackson, Pat Stanaway, Jerry Morton, Jesse Chadwick, Paul Kershaw, Adrian Mortimer, and Michael Rodwell. She also married serial criminal Pat Phelan, played by Connor McIntyre. Her long-running feud with neighbour Gail Platt, portrayed by Helen Worth, was a highlight for viewers.
Eileen left Weatherfield in 2025, moving to Thailand to start a new life with her son Jason, played by Ryan Thomas.
Sue Cleaver's Famous Half-Sisters
While Eileen enjoys her new life in Asia, fans may be surprised to learn that Sue Cleaver comes from a showbiz family. Her half-sister Emma Harbour appeared on Coronation Street in two roles: in 2001 as Toyah Battersby's rape counsellor and in 2017 and 2020 as a doctor at Weatherfield General. She also played the prosecution barrister in Mark Bails' trial on Emmerdale.
Another half-sister, Kate Harbour, is a voice actress known for voicing Wendy in the children's series Bob the Builder.
Sue Cleaver's Adoption Story
Sue was adopted at 10 days old. She found her birth mother in her early twenties and discovered she had sisters. On I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, she shared: "I'm adopted. I had a lot of attachment disorders that started in my teens. Trying on personalities like coats. I wasn't my authentic self."
She continued: "It was when I was at drama school, about 23, 24, and the Royal Exchange were looking for tiny little parts to be in Oedipus, that David Threlfall was doing and there was an actor in the show called Michael N. Harbour. When we walked in on the first day, he turned to Dave Threlfall and went, 'Oh my God, she's the absolute double of my wife when I met her.'"
Sue added: "It's uncanny and I've got two half sisters who are all in the business - Kate is huge in animation and Emma was an actress. It's lovely because my mum and my birth mother, we've all met, been out for dinner, we've all kept in touch. So, we've all had lovely relationships ever since - so it's a nice ending. I'm very lucky."
Fan Reactions
Fans were stunned to learn of Sue's famous sisters. One X user wrote: "I learned a few years ago that Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street)'s half-sister is Kate Harbour, who voiced Wendy in Bob the Builder."
Coronation Street airs weekday nights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
