Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver, who plays cab switchboard operator Eileen Grimshaw on the cobbles, was adopted at ten days old - and her birth mum is now part of her life

Coronation Street fans were shocked to have only just discovered a mother and son duo appeared on the ITV soap. The cobbles has seen its fair share of real-life family members gracing Weatherfield including real life cousins Brooke Vincent and Ellie Leach, and brothers Rick Neelan (Greg Wood) and Tommy Orpington (Matt Milburn).

Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw on Coronation Street, was adopted at 10 days old - and then discovered her birth mum was married to one of her co-stars

The tale of how Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver discovered her birth mother is a narrative that could rival any plot on the famous street. Sue, who was adopted at just 10 days old, had an encounter that seemed scripted for the screen when she landed a minor role in the play 'Oedipus' at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre back in 1986.

Sue Cleaver did not know who her birth mother was until she had already started acting, making the bombshell discovery after a co-star said 'she's the spitting image of my wife'