A shocked Carla Connor received a proposal in Coronation Street tonight (Friday, May 23), as Lisa Swain popped the question. Emotional after the shocking death of colleague Craig Tinker, Swain found herself questioning life and mortality.
After a hard day on the beat, she returned home, where Carla was reclining on the sofa. Lisa soon broke down in tears and, as the day’s events came to a head, told Carla that she was determined to grab happiness wherever she could find it – and said she wanted them to get married.
But who else has Carla been married to in Coronation Street?
Inside the Coronation Street marriages of Carla Connor
Paul Connor
Carla arrived in Weatherfield with her husband, Paul Connor. However, their marriage was hardly on the most solid ground, especially after he spent money that had been set aside for her on his investment in Underworld.
Tensions between the couple only grew when they met Leanne Battersby – a woman he recognised as a sex worker he’d recently hired. Convinced that Paul had slept with Leanne in spite of his protests otherwise, Carla demanded a divorce.
Furious, Paul grabbed Leanne and locked her in the boot of his car. In the ensuing journey to see his brother Liam (who Leanne was dating), distracted Paul crashed the car, dying in the hours which followed. After his death, Carla inherited the majority shares in Underworld, cementing her status as Weatherfield’s top businesswoman.
Tony Gordon
In 2007, Carla met suave factory client Tony Gordon. They began dating almost immediately, despite Liam’s objections to it being so close to his brother’s death. As it turned out, Liam was just jealous – and the pair kissed as they argued. Afraid to act on their feelings, they ignored these urges.
Carla pursued a relationship with Tony, and Liam began a relationship with Maria Sutherland. Too late, Carla realised the strength of her feeling for Liam, and was unable to stop him from marrying Maria later that year.
In 2008, she accepted Tony’s marriage proposal – if only to make Liam jealous. In the run-up to the wedding, her affair with Liam picked up steam. Tragedy struck on Tony’s stag-do, when Liam was killed in a hit-and-run. A grief stricken Carla went through with the marriage, unaware that he’d known about the affair and arranged to have Liam killed.
The truth, inevitably, came out. Tony confessed to killing Liam, and was sent to prison for his crimes. However, his repentance wasn’t to last, and he escaped prison in 2010 to torment Carla, along with Maria and Hayley Cropper, holding them hostage in Underworld.
Tony died in the ensuing fire, marking another dead husband for Carla Connor.
The Coronation Street marriages of Carla Connor continued
Peter Barlow
In 2013, after several years of affairs and off-and-on-again romancing, Carla married Peter Barlow for the first time. However, their marriage was doomed from the start – as Peter began an affair with nanny Tina McIntyre on their wedding day.
By the following year, he and Tina were ready to leave Weatherfield together. This plan hit a sticking point when Rob Donovan murdered her, leaving Peter and Carla in the frame for murder.
They both managed to clear their name, but their marriage (and unborn child) were unable to survive. As his marriage crumbled, Peter left Weatherfield, fleeing to Portsmouth to lick his wounds.
Nick Tilsley
In Peter’s absence, Carla grew close to neighbour Nick Tilsley, bonding over their disastrous relationship history. As their relationship developed, Carla proposed to Nick, and she accepted.
However, a series of shocks sent Carla off the rails. Learning that Paul Connor had actually been her cousin, recovering alcoholic Carla turned to drink again and had a one-night-stand with a man named Robert Preston.
Carla confessed to sleeping with Robert, but the seeds of doubt had been sown. And, as Tracy kicked off during their vows, Nick continued to have doubts. They did make it down the aisle but Nick backed out soon after – having their marriage annulled as Carla headed off to Devon, alone.
Peter Barlow… again
After several years apart, Peter and Carla reconnected back in Weatherfield in 2018. They at first attempted to keep their distance – admitting that they still loved each other, but couldn’t risk hurting each other again.
In 2019, Peter was there for Carla as she struggles with a psychotic break, holding herself responsible for the death of a woman in a roof collapse at Underworld. The pair inevitably rekindled their romance as they grew closer together, although their relationship was tested by his sinking back into the bottle and her sleeping with his brother, Adam.
Still, they managed to overcome these (pretty massive) obstacles, and they were married for a second time in 2021. Their second marriage was much happier and more successful than the first… at least until Peter ran over and killed local serial killer Stephen Reid.
Aware that Peter was struggling with his guilt over killing Stephen, Carla persuaded her man to pursue his dreams of sailing the world in a yacht, putting an end to their toxic romance once and for all.
The final nail in the coffin was delivered last year, when Carla received divorce papers from Peter, putting an end to their marriage.
Will Carla marry Lisa Swain?
In recent months, Carla has fallen into a relationship with local police officer Lisa Swain. Between the return of Rob Donovan, Betsy’s often rotten behaviour, and Carla’s kidney failure, their relationship has weathered so much already… so why not marry?
And, in Coronation Street spoilers for next week, Carla asks Lisa whether she meant what she’d said about marriage. Will Carla tie the knot for a sixth time?
Coronation Street usually airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV.
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