Claire Sweeney

Actress and TV personality, Claire Sweeney, is best-known for her portrayal of Lindsey Corkhill on Channel 4's legendary soap Brookside from 1991–2003 and more recently, playing Cassie Plummer on ITV’s Coronation Street, since 2023.

An accomplished singer and star of the West End, Claire replaced Denise Van Outen playing Roxie Hart in Chicago from 2001–2002 and took on the role of Miss Adelaide in the 2006 British production of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End for an eight-week run, before touring the UK alongside Patrick Swayze in the same production.

She was also a panellist on ITV’s daytime magazine show Loose Women between 2003-2005 and presented 60 Minute Makeover from 2004 to 2006. Other acting credits include Candy Cabs (2011), Scarborough (2019), and The Good Ship Murder (2023).

Claire Sweeney is also no stranger to reality TV, having appeared as a contestant on various shows including the very first series of Celebrity Big Brother (2001) alongside Jack Dee, who won the show, as well as Anthea Turner, Vanessa Feltz, Chris Eubank and Keith Duffy, the first series of Strictly Come Dancing (2004), and the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice (2024).

She was born in Liverpool and trained at the Elliott-Clarke Theatre School where she worked at weekends in her father's butcher shop. Her first singing gig was at the age of 14 in the Montrose Club, Liverpool, for which she was paid the princely fee of £25. Claire was then educated full-time at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

Her first major role was as Lindsey Corkhill in the popular soap opera Brookside, initially as a recurring character from 1991 and then as a leading character from 1995 until the programme ended in 2003.

In 2001 she became a brand promoter for Marks & Spencer, a brand ambassador for Fashion World and then SlimFast. In 2002, Claire Sweeney became a forces sweetheart and entertained British Army troops serving in Afghanistan. In the same year she released the album Claire, featuring a mix of original material and cover versions: it peaked at number 15 in the UK Albums Chart in July 2002. She also co-presented BBC One's A Song for Europe with Christopher Price.

In 2003, she starred in the world tour of the musical revue Fosse, and featured on the album Give Me a Smile by Carl Davis and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Claire was a regular panellist on the ITV's Loose Women from 2003 to 2005, and has appeared as a guest panellist several times since then.

In 2005 she presented series four of the Living TV show I'm Famous and Frightened!. She also hosted BBC One's Here Comes the Sun. In May 2005 Claire was among the performers who took part in A Party to Remember event commemorating the 60th anniversary of VE Day. In 2010 she sang with Carl Davis and the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary concert.

In 2011, Claire played both "The Girl" in a national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Tell Me on a Sunday and Paulette in the first UK tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical. In 2012, she appeared in the UK tour of Educating Rita. And from November 2012 to January 2013 she starred in the White Christmas musical at The Lowry theatre in Salford Quays, Manchester

In 2015 and 2016 she played Velma Von-Tussle in the UK tour of Hairspray. And then in 2019 starred as Hayley in the BBC sitcom Scarborough, alongside Jason Manford, Stephanie Cole, and Catherine Tyldesley.

In July 2021, Claire Sweeney performed at G-A-Y alongside drag queen Veronica Green as part of the regular cabaret night Defying Musicals.

In April 2023, it was announced that Claire Sweeney would be joining the cast of Coronation Street as Cassandra Plummer, the daughter of Evelyn Plummer and the biological mother of Tyrone Dobbs.

In 2024, she took part on the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice, being paired with professional skater Colin Grafton. They were third to be eliminated.