Anita Reynolds was a young barmaid at The Flying Horse who dated Len Fairclough in January 1970. Before Len, Anita ended a six-year relationship with her childhood sweetheart to take up with policeman Eric, who she met in Newquay when she was twenty. She wanted to marry and was only interested in relationships that had a future.
When Annie Walker, landlady of the Rovers Return Inn, alienated her clientele in the New Year of 1970, The Flying Horse briefly became the pub of choice for the Rovers regulars, including builder Len. Len was nearly twenty years older than Anita but they both put aside the age difference as they liked each other. Anita liked to know where she stood but valued her privacy; she refused to answer questions about their relationship from the curious Rovers crowd. Keen to mark her territory, she went to see Maggie Clegg, who was also interested in Len, to make sure she didn't have competition. Nevertheless, the two women were cold to each other.
On 14th January, Anita and Len had a double date with Elsie Tanner and Alan Howard. Anita chatted with Elsie and impressed her. Anita now wanted Len to meet her parents but Len was starting to worry about the age difference and thought meeting her parents - who were the same age as him - would only exacerbate the problem. Anita accepted a marriage proposal, but Len got cold feet the more he thought about the age difference. Confessing his doubts to Anita, he recanted his proposal and she walked out on him, telling him that she was only interested in marriage.
Anita spoke with a Liverpudlian accent and often wore glasses. She was a good darts player, and won for The Flying Horse against the Rovers.