Lorna Shawcross

Lorna Shawcross was a young woman who was brought up in Weatherfield and went to Bessie Street School with Billy and Joan Walker but left the area with her parents when she was six and moved to Leamington Spa. In June 1971 she moved back to work at the Royal hospital as a physiotherapist.

Annie Walker bumped into her in the street and despite the passage of time, they recognised each other. Lorna affectionately called Annie "Aunty" and was invited to tea at the Rovers. Billy Walker rightly sensed an attempt at match-making and refused to attend before the grown-up Lorna was pointed out to him while walking down Rosamund Street by Len Fairclough and he was instantly smitten. Doing a total about-turn he pushed Annie into inviting Lorna to tea and attended in his best suit. Lorna told the pair that she was living in an unsuitable flat while looking for more permanent accommodation and no one was more pleased than Billy when Annie invited Lorna to stay at the Rovers while she carried on flat-hunting. He helped her move her things in and showed definite signs of jealously when Lorna asked Annie if she could serve behind the bar and objected to Len telling jokes in her presence. He took an impromptu afternoon off work from the Canal Garage and took Lorna to Belle Vue and, telling her about a business offer he's had from London, asked her if she would ever be interested in moving down there.

Billy was definitely smitten and although Lorna treated him with affection, it was more that of friends than anything else. The reason became clear when Lorna confessed to Annie that she was secretly engaged to someone who worked in Zambia but she was keeping it a secret until her parents had been introduced to her fiancé. Annie panicked when Billy bought Lorna and expensive broach and told him the truth. When he confronted Lorna, she was furious that Annie had broken a confidence, packed her things and left. This also made up Billy's mind and he accelerated his plans to move back to London.

List of appearances
1971
 * Mon 14th Jun
 * Wed 16th Jun
 * Mon 21st Jun
 * Wed 23rd Jun
 * Mon 28th Jun
 * Wed 30th Jun