Complex sentence: Martha was one of the soap's original gossips, second only to Ena Sharples, she was never one to miss a row or fight and would spread the news to her friends, it became very much a way of life.
Split into simpler sentences: Martha was one of the soap's original gossips, second only to Ena Sharples. She was never one to miss a row or fight and would spread the news to her friends--it became very much a way of life.