Natasha Blakeman is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rachel Leskovac.
[1] On 29 April 2010, it was announced that Leskovac had been axed from the show after two years and would depart in "an exciting and dramatic storyline which will be an integral part of the build-up to Coronation Street's 50th anniversary".
[3] Leskovac made an unannounced departure from the soap on 25 October 2021, in which Natasha was killed off after being shot by Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor).
[4] In December 2008, Natasha informs Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) that her brother and sister-in-law have just had a baby daughter and are naming her Electra.
She spots a good business opportunity in opening the salon for late night trading hours during the week, an idea Audrey agrees to.
Later that month, Natasha sets her sights on Audrey's grandson Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and he agrees to go out with her, after she makes her interest in him clear.
Eager to settle down, Natasha suggests they get a place together but Nick is preoccupied with business woes, due to Underworld recently burning down, and virtually ignores her.
Worried about his dealings with ex-wife, Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), she lends him £3,000 for new business premises to secure the future of the factory in an attempt to please him.
Unsure how to tell him about the termination, she lets him believe that she is still expecting and events spiral out of control when Nick announces her pregnancy in the Rovers.
Nick then tells Natasha that she will always be second best to Leanne and demands she move out, resulting in her attempting suicide by taking an overdose of prescription drugs.
Feeling guilty about his actions, Nick returns to the flat and, finding her unconscious, calls an ambulance and rushes her to the hospital, where she recovers.
Knowing that a relationship under those circumstances is doomed, she leaves Audrey's and returns to Coronation Street, wanting revenge on all those who misunderstood or were horrible to her.
During her visit, Natasha berates Leanne for being a catalyst in her break-up with Nick and tells David that Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) will never love him as he has no heart or feelings.
Later in the day, it is revealed that Natasha now has a son and tells the doctor that she has been reminded of his Dad today, meaning that Nick is his father.
In October 2021, following a long-running feud between Leanne and drug dealer Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor), Natasha was shot in a case of mistaken identity.
Rushed to hospital, she later died at the age of 40 after internally bleeding during her surgery on her liver before the news was broken to her son, Sam.