Veronica "Ronnie" Clayton was a Street Cars employee and love interest of Steve McDonald between 2005 and 2006.
When she joined Street Cars, Ronnie was separated from her gangster husband Jimmy Clayton, who targeted the cab firm with threats until she came back to him. Ronnie later showed her true colours when she killed a pensioner in a hit-and-run while driving a cab, and blamed it on Steve. Steve exonerated himself by confessing that he was in bed with Kelly Crabtree at the time, and Ronnie was arrested.
Biography[]
Ronnie was married to gangster Jimmy Clayton, the owner of Connect Cabs, but they separated.
Steve McDonald interviewed Ronnie for a job as a driver at Street Cars in October 2005. Smitten with her, he offered her the job immediately. He also took Ronnie out for a drink at the Rovers Return Inn. On her first day working at Street Cars, Jimmy called in while she was out. He told Lloyd Mullaney and Eileen Grimshaw that they mustn't employ Ronnie. Steve understood that they had to sack her to avoid trouble but she seduced him and they slept together. Jimmy called at the cab office once again and threatened to have Lloyd beaten up if he didn't sack Ronnie. Steve refused to let Ronnie go and she agreed to stay. Jimmy then began making hoax calls to Street Cars - sending drivers on false call-outs. He also saw Steve and Ronnie kissing, and subsequently threatened her into returning home to him but she was adamant that their marriage was over. When he discovered what happened, Steve retaliated by telling Jimmy to leave her alone. Jimmy's son Nick threatened Street Cars employee Claire Peacock. When someone threw a brick through Lloyd's windscreen, Jimmy was the prime suspect.
Charlie Fellows, an old client of Ronnie's from when she worked for Jimmy at Connect Cars, telephoned Street Cars and Ronnie insisted on going to get him. Nick's girlfriend Julie called in the taxi office and warned Eileen that Jimmy was out to hurt Ronnie - he was planning to lure her to Wildclough Farm. Eileen desperately tried to stop Ronnie from going to Charlie Fellows' farm but it was too late. A frightened Ronnie found Jimmy and Nick at the farm. Jimmy used his shotgun to shoot the tyres on her cab. Steve arrived at the farm, having been sent by Eileen and Jimmy shot his tyres too. Jimmy then pointed the shotgun at Steve. Lloyd arrived at the farm and managed to push Jimmy out of the way with his car. Steve and Ronnie escaped with Lloyd, but Jimmy gave chase. Jimmy tried to force Lloyd off the road but lost control and ended up in a ditch.
Steve was upset when Ronnie decided to return to her flat in December 2005, but she assured him she didn't want them to finish. When Steve admitted he had serious money worries, Ronnie gave him £5,000 of Jimmy's money as a Christmas present. However, he threw it back at her angrily. Ronnie visited Jimmy in prison and told him she was keeping the money and that if he tried to protest she would reveal his dodgy dealings to the authorities.
In May 2006, after having a row with Ronnie, Steve slept with Kelly Crabtree. Ronnie tried to phone Steve whilst driving, and left him a message saying that she wanted them to try again and that she was on her way round. While she was on the phone, Ronnie accidentally knocked over a pedestrian. Not knowing whether the man was dead or not, Ronnie checked no-one had seen her and drove off. She radioed Lloyd and lied to him saying she was five minutes from Levenshulme. Ronnie and Steve made up, each hiding a guilty secret from the other. When Ronnie saw the Gazette headline "OAP killed in hit and run", she was very shaken. Street Cars received a speeding fine from the night she knocked down the pedestrian, and without being told about the incident, Steve agreed to cover for her and tell the police that he was driving. However, the police called at Street Cars enquiring about Ronnie's car and that there had been a hit-and-run. Steve, worried she had framed him, questioned her but she denied any knowledge of the incident. When Steve was questioned, he realised the only way to prove he wasn't driving was to admit he was in bed with Kelly on the night. Ronnie was eventually arrested and ended up in Styal Prison.
Personality[]
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Background information[]
Emma Stansfield made a brief return to Coronation Street in November 2021, playing Penny Finton in only one episode. This made her one of only seven actors who have played a regular character in the programme and gone on to make a subsequent appearance in a separate role.
First and last lines[]
"I'm 'ere for a job, not a cab. I'm Ronnie Clayton." (First line, to Les Battersby and Steve McDonald)
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"Shall we go down to the station? I'm sure we can sort all this out." (Final line)
Appendices[]
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