Jackie Dobbs was last seen on Coronation Street in 2010, but actress Margi Clarke has led a varied life since leaving the cobbles. Best known for playing Tyrone Dobbs' adoptive mother, Clarke has taken on other roles, faced health struggles, and even worked behind a bar.
Jackie Dobbs' Story on Coronation Street
Jackie first appeared in Weatherfield in 1998 after meeting Deidre Barlow in prison. She moved onto the street with her teenage son Tyrone, played by Alan Halsall. Her initial stint lasted until 1999, when she returned to Liverpool, leaving Tyrone in the care of Jack and Vera Duckworth.
Jackie made a dramatic comeback in 2008 with bright pink hair, causing trouble for Tyrone and Molly Dobbs ahead of their wedding. She left the soap for good in 2010. In 2018, it was revealed that Jackie had been killed off-screen and was not Tyrone's biological mother; the real mum is Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney). This week, Tyrone's biological father Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield) arrives on the street.
Margi Clarke's Acting Career
Before Coronation Street, Margi Clarke was known for roles in Channel 4 soap Brookside and the 1985 cult film Letter to Brezhnev. She also appeared in Casualty, BBC's Making Out, and the Pet Shop Boys' video for Rent (1987). Clarke hosted her own daytime show, Swank, in the 1990s and performed stand-up at the Edinburgh Festival in 1994 with 21st Century Scutt.
After leaving Coronation Street in 1999, she joined the cast of Five soap Family Affairs for nearly a year. She appeared in the 2002 films Revengers Tragedy and 24 Hour Party People. In 2008, she returned to prime-time TV in the second series of ITV sitcom Benidorm, playing Dorothy, mother of Gavin (Hugh Sachs). Her last TV role was in 2014, playing Heaven Jones in BBC comedy Puppy Love.
Health Setback and Personal Struggles
In the 1990s, Clarke took a three-year sabbatical after the death of her mother Frances Clarke from lung cancer in 1995. She battled a drinking problem, which she successfully overcame, but it led to health issues. "My drinking began in 1996 and was triggered by my mother's death from lung cancer, which left me devastated," she told The Northern Echo in 2010. "The drinking had a real impact on my health. I ended up with a nasty yeast infection which left me feeling really sick with IBS and covered in blisters on my skin and in my mouth, and with painful athlete's foot."
Clarke told the Liverpool Echo she was still grieving when she took the role of Jackie in 1998 and felt she did not play the part to her best ability.
Working in a Pub
In 2012, Clarke revealed she was working as a barmaid at Ma Egerton's pub in Liverpool. She told Liverpool Confidential: "Every actor takes on other work when they are waiting for the next big job." She also told the Mirror: "With my strong accent getting roles in straight theatre has always been a bit difficult. But it's become a whole lot harder now because the drama schools are packed full of so many talented kids. Everybody wants to be famous these days but there aren't many roles for older Scouse women."
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
