The official Coronation Street website describes the character as "brash and bolshy, Kelly is the sort of girl who goes for what she wants and rarely thinks of the consequences of her actions".
"[3] Natalie Gumede, who would later play Kirsty Soames, had originally auditioned for the part of Kelly, but lost out to Dorgu.
It was announced on 26 December 2007 that the character was to receive a big storyline during 2008, featuring a wager between the new father and son bookies on the street.
In 2004, Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones), heads to work and is waiting outside the factory and starts talking to Kelly Crabtree, a machinist at Underworld who is leaving as she is getting married.
Karen leaves her husband Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) and lets Sonia Marshall (Tina Gambe), Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle), Kelly and Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh) have a look through her stuff and pick what they want.
Kelly asks Danny Baldwin (Bradley Walsh) for her job back but is told she has been replaced by Sean Tully (Antony Cotton).
In 2005, Kelly starts seeing Lloyd Mullaney (Craig Charles) but after she finds out he is cheating on her, she puts laxatives in his drink.
She falls for Liam Connor (Rob James-Collier), Carla's brother-in-law, and is outraged when she discovers that he is seeing her best mate, Joanne Jackson (Zaraah Abrahams).
In early 2008, Kelly, desperate to earn some extra cash, begins stealing leftover material from the knicker bins at the factory.
Fellow factory worker Wiki Dankowska (Wanda Opalinska) soon discovers what Kelly is up to and urges her to come clean.
After that Kelly comes clean and is nearly sacked but Wiki intervenes and gets her rehired (to make up for her wrongful accusation) and is placed on a lower wage with a six-month probation period.
In October 2008, she begins dating bookmaker Dan Mason (Matthew Crompton) following his split from Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson).
However, Dan soon tires of Kelly asking him to lend her money and dumps her just as they are due to go on holiday, leaving the Street without her.
Ignoring Becky's excuses that she is under pressure to serve her, due to a large group of music fans wanting food, Kelly goes behind the bar and starts helping herself.
Becky is furious and throws her out of the pub just as landlady Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) arrives back from lunch.
On discovering that Sally has breast cancer, Kelly shows little sympathy towards her, calling her colleagues hypocrites for suddenly liking someone they hated, over an illness, causing further rivalry.
Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), wanting to buy into the factory, spots an opportunity to use Kelly in his quest to attain shares.
She announces that she is leaving Weatherfield before having an emotional goodbye with close friend Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle) who understands her anguish.