Phoenix was born at St Mary's Hospital in Fallowfield, Lancashire,[citation needed] to Annie (née Noonan), originally of County Galway, Ireland, and Thomas "Tom" Manfield.

As a child, she nursed early theatrical ambitions, appearing regularly on the radio in Children's Hour at the age of 11, after having submitted a monologue.

After leaving school, she worked as a filing clerk for the electricity charging department of Manchester Corporation, performing in amateur dramatics in her spare time.

Some undistinguished film work followed in Blood of the Vampire (1958) and Jack the Ripper (1959) and in 1960, she returned to Manchester with her ambition all but spent.

[citation needed] Phoenix's profile gained her a part in the British film The L-Shaped Room (1962) in which she played a prostitute and which also featured her future husband Anthony Booth in a small role.

In 1985, she was interviewed for a magazine by long-time fan, the singer Morrissey, who also featured her on the cover of one of the Smiths' singles, "Shakespeare's Sister".

In the summer of 1986, her condition deteriorated, forcing her to undergo more extensive treatment and confirming mild speculation in the press that she had health problems.

[citation needed] Phoenix married Booth in the Alexandra Hospital (Cheadle), on 9 September 1986, attracting much media attention.

At her request, her funeral service at the Holy Name Church in Manchester featured a large brass band; according to Coronation Street histories written by show historian Daran Little, she wanted the event that marked her death to be as lively as her life.

[15] Since her death, Phoenix has been portrayed by Kym Marsh, Denise Black, Debbie Rush, Sue Johnston, Lynda Rooke and Jodie Prenger (who have all also appeared in Coronation Street as, respectively, Michelle Connor, Denise Osborne, Anna Windass, Gloria Price, Laura Collins/Lucy Woodrow and Glenda Shuttleworth) and Jessie Wallace in various dramas depicting her life, both on stage and television.