Denise Welch has revealed the real reason she chose to leave Coronation Street, despite Natalie Barnes becoming one of the soap’s most unforgettable characters of the late 1990s. The actress played Natalie from 1997 to 2000, but has now admitted that creative frustration ultimately forced her to walk away.
Welch, who is currently reprising her role as the chaotic teacher Steph Haydock in Waterloo Road, explained in a recent interview with RadioTimes.com that she agreed to return to the BBC drama on one key condition: the character had to remain sharp, dramatic and true to her original personality. If the role had become dull or softened, she would not have returned.
That philosophy, she said, has guided her entire career. Welch revealed she has never revisited a role unless it still carried dramatic weight. “I’ve never gone back to a role in my whole career,” she explained, adding that she refuses to play characters who have lost their spark.
The same issue arose during her time on Coronation Street. Welch admitted that as Natalie Barnes became more established, there was pressure to soften the character to keep her on the show longer. While common in long-running soaps, Welch felt this completely undermined Natalie’s identity.
“I played a real scheming woman,” she said, explaining that Natalie was gradually rewritten to be more palatable. At one point, Welch famously felt Natalie was being turned into a saintly figure like Emily Bishop — a comparison that convinced her it was time to leave.
Natalie Barnes was originally introduced to split up Kevin and Sally Webster, one of the show’s most iconic couples. Her affair with Kevin, while Sally was caring for her sick mother, sparked one of the biggest scandals of the 1990s. The fallout cemented Natalie as a classic soap villain — glamorous, ruthless and unforgettable.
Her storyline later evolved when she married Des Barnes, only for tragedy to strike when he was killed weeks after their wedding. Natalie then reinvented herself as landlady of the Rovers Return, ruling the pub with confidence and authority before eventually leaving Weatherfield.
Although Denise Welch admits she left because she felt creatively boxed in, Natalie Barnes remains one of Coronation Street’s most impactful characters. From homewrecker to grieving widow to queen of the Rovers, her legacy is still remembered decades later.