Leanne Battersby (also Tilsley and Barlow) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jane Danson.

Leanne's storylines include numerous affairs, prostitution, drug abuse, insurance fraud, discovering her biological mother was Stella Price (Michelle Collins), a miscarriage, an abortion and a custody battle for Peter Barlow's (Chris Gascoyne) son, Simon (Alex Bain).

She married Peter Barlow in the show's live 50th anniversary episode, but divorced him in 2012 in reaction to his affair with Carla Connor (Alison King) being exposed.

After a one-night stand, Leanne becomes pregnant with Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) baby and gives birth to a son, Oliver Battersby, who dies in 2020 from mitochondrial disease.

[1] Customers at the Rovers Return were said to be "horrified when a gruff newcomer with a jailbird wife and two tearaway teenage sons" (later changed to two daughters) arrive in Weatherfield.

"[13] Danson said she found it hard to work on Coronation Street as her 10-month-old son Harry was asleep before she left and was in bed upon finishing filming.

[16] Leanne adopts an alter-ego of "Rachel" with a "posh voice" and "plies her trade to bored businessmen in top Manchester hotels" as a high class escort.

However, a woman named Christina (Sarah-Jayne Steed) arrives and claims that she met Peter on her father's yacht recently and decided to visit him.

And in the middle of all this, Carla's been hovering in the wings..."[32] It was announced in September 2010 that Peter's father, Ken, will catch Leanne in bed with Nick.

She admits she didn't buy the storyline when it was pitched as Leanne is "quite tough and she's always been a bit gobby" and wondered whether the character would "really take it from a teenager".

[50] Leanne moves to Coronation Street with her father Les Battersby (Bruce Jones), stepmother Janice and stepsister Toyah in July 1997.

Excessive partying and late nights take their toll and Leanne resigns from The Kabin, following a row with Rita's foster daughter, Sharon Gaskell (Tracie Bennett), over missing money and starts work as barmaid at The Rovers Return Inn for Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch).

When Leanne starts dating Liam Connor (Rob James-Collier), Janice insists she choose between a loving relationship and her new career.

In September, Dan needs £10,000 to buy the betting shop from his father, Harry (Jack Ellis), and Leanne offers him the money after Janice won £25,000 in a lottery scam.

Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) returns to the Street with his five-year-old son, Simon (Alex Bain), and buys the betting shop.

In early 2009, Peter struggles to stay sober and starts a rehabilitation programme which Leanne supports, running the betting shop in his absence.

To Leanne's relief, he survives and successfully comes through surgery to stop internal bleeding, but it is later revealed that he has damaged his spine and it could be some time before he can walk again.

After a weekend spent talking through their problems, the couple agrees to give their marriage another try and head off, with Simon, on the honeymoon Peter had booked.

She stays with her sister in Liverpool, but when she returns, Leanne decides to go for custody of Simon after she believes that Peter and Carla cannot take care of him.

Leanne begins work at the kebab shop and halts her divorce fearing the stress will take its toll on Nick's health.

Later that summer, Leanne recognises Liz McDonald's (Beverley Callard) new boyfriend, Dan Jones (Andrew Paul) as an old client from her days working as a prostitute.

Simon continues to hit Leanne, refuses to go to school, vandalises property and drunkenly causes a scene in the Bistro with his friends.

They agree to help Simon with counselling, but when he deliberately injures a fellow football team player, Leanne reports him to the police.

Toyah returns on Christmas Day 2016, telling Leanne that she has left her husband Toby Chapman (Andrew Dowbiggin), as she has been having an affair.

Whilst at work, Simon is pressured by his colleague Jacob Hay (Jack James Ryan) into delivering drugs, he does various dodgy jobs including, threatening to set a guy, who had apparently stole from them, on fire.

When Peter is discharged from hospital, the same attacked man is waiting in the car park to follow them, however, Carla manages to slip away to visit Leanne and Simon, to inform him that his dad is okay.

[54] Danson was additionally nominated for "Best Dramatic Performance" at the Inside Soap awards for marriage to Peter at his deathbed but lost out to Emmerdale's Danny Miller.

[56][57] In December 2010, following the show's critically acclaimed live episode, Jane Danson's performance was singled out by many Digital Spy forum members.

[58] The Guardian columnist Grace Dent commented on Danson's decision to return to the show in 2007 saying that viewers knew Leanne would come back.

[59] In 2010, Dan Martin from The Guardian put Peter on his "fantasy hit-list" of characters to be killed-off in 50th anniversary special in order to allow Leanne "to get her groove back".