After leaving "Corrie", she went back to her first love, theater. In her free time, she wrote plays. When her daughter was born in 2001, she no longer wanted to spend weeks away from home on tour. She quit acting, and focused on writing.
She started writing plays at a young age, penning scripts for her sisters and her friends to perform. After studying drama at Manchester University, she was interested in teaching or doing drama therapy, but decided to try acting. She won an initial three-month contract to appear on Coronation Street (1960) which turned into a three-year stint.