Natalie Barnes Natalie Felicity Barnes ( née Brownlow ; previously Horrocks ) was played by the actress Denise Welch between February 1997 and December 2000 . Biography . Affair with Kevin Webster . Natalie first appeared on Coronation Street in February 1997 after her son Tony , co - owner of MVB Motors , suffered a breakdown due to hitting and killing Joyce Smedley with his car . She took over the reins of the garage , implementing a new billing system computer program and acting as part owner and manager in her son ' s absence . There she began a relationship with the very married , and much younger Kevin Webster . She seduced him and convinced him that she wanted nothing other than an affair - no strings attached . Kevin , lonely at home as his wife was in Scarborough nursing her ill mother , decided to take a chance . They began an affair . After a period of time , Natalie decided that she wanted Kevin full - time - she had fallen in love . She again convinced him that he was unhappy in his marriage to Sally and that he should leave and move in with her . He did . It was a bumpy ride and Natalie became the most hated woman on the Street . Sally demanded money to raise his girls and this put a strain on Natalie and Kevin ' s relationship . At Christmas of the same year , Kevin having come to his senses and missing his family , left Natalie and returned to Sally and his children . Natalie was devastated at the loss . After finding herself unwanted at the garage , and feeling that it didn ' t warrant her time , Natalie suddenly showed up in the Rovers working behind the bar . The regulars were dismayed with this particular barmaid and some refused to drink there . With time , the regulars softened and Natalie became less offensive and people started to like her off - the - cuff manner . Relationship with Des Barnes . Natalie became friendly with Des Barnes while he was dating Samantha Failsworth , another barmaid at the Rovers . When the relationship floundered , Natalie was there as a friend for Des . Samantha began to stalk Natalie and was jealous of her friendship with Des . When Samantha kidnapped Natalie ' s cat , the relationship between Des and Natalie grew . She struggled for months to fight her attraction to him but in the end , they found themselves together . This was the relationship they had both longed for . Steady and secure , as far as either of them could tell , it was a perfect match . Tony ' s return to the Street in the autumn of 1998 triggered a watershed of events that soon left Natalie devastated . In early October , Des proposed to Natalie and she accepted . The wedding was the event of the Street and all attended . The marquee was decorated by Hayley Patterson , the best man was Les Battersby - the champagne flowed . It was a union toasted by all except , naturally , Kevin and Sally . Tony ' s return and Des ' death . Unknown to all except Des , Tony had arrived on the scene with some excess baggage . He was a drug dealer and he was in big financial trouble . He needed money and his mother was quick to open her wallet and give him what she had although she never knew what it was for . It wasn ' t enough . While at home one night Tony was accosted by three thugs , looking for the drug money that he owed them . Des happened on the scene as they were beating up Tony and , while trying to come to Tony ' s aid , he took a hit to the head , which sent him crashing to the coffee table . Married less than a month , Des died in hospital of a heart attack . Managing the Rovers . Bereft and looking for a new start , Natalie sought out the familiar comfort of the Rovers . Finding that it was for sale , Natalie bought the Rovers from Alec Gilroy on 30th December 1998 . After shifting the Duckworths from their lodgings upstairs , Natalie moved in and redecorated . She was finally home . After taking over the Rovers , Natalie started a relationship with Ian Bentley , aware that he had a fiancée but not knowing that he was about to marry Rita Sullivan ' s former foster daughter , Sharon Gaskell . Rovers ' barmaid Betty Williams spied Natalie and Ian together , and told Rita - who confronted Natalie . Natalie soon finished with Ian ( and Sharon left him at the altar ) ; however after this Natalie was not well liked by Sharon . After the break - up of her marriage to Nick Tilsley , as resident barmaid , Leanne Battersby moved into the Rovers with Natalie . The Rovers was robbed on New Year ' s Day 2000 , after Leanne fell into debt with Jez Quigley over her addiction with cocaine . The Rovers robbery left Leanne hospitalised , and after she confessed , Natalie agreed to support her and sought help for her with a drug counsellor . Tony ' s death . In March 2000 , Natalie suffered a terrible ordeal when she discovered that her son Tony had been found dead and buried on the new development of Victoria Street . Tony ' s body had been found by Natalie ' s on and off lover Vinny Sorrell after falling through a hole . Vinny had previously worked alongside Natalie in the Rovers , but when both decided that working together was bad for their relationship he took a job as a labourer . Natalie suffered a breakdown , confused over her feelings over Tony ' s death , as she had hated him over his role in Des ' death . Colin Barnes turned up at Tony ' s funeral and caused a scene , which led to the police questioning him . To avoid arrest he gave his alibi that on the night of Tony ' s death he and Natalie had slept together . Natalie felt ashamed especially as it cracked open her relationship with Vinny Sorrell . Natalie was determined to find out more about the murder of her son Tony , and put up a £10 , 000 award for information regarding Tony ' s death . Steve McDonald came forward and told her that Jez had threatened him over using Steve ' s mini cab firm for supplying drugs , and when Steve stood up to him Jez told him that he would have to face the fate that had befallen Tony . Natalie had Jez arrested , but he was found not guilty in court after Steve ' s motives as a witness were questioned . On his release Jez told Steve that he caused Tony ' s death . Leanne also was threatened by Jez especially when he made it clear he wanted her as his girlfriend , and it wasn ' t long before Leanne fled the country . She went to Amsterdam to meet up with Mark Redman , while Natalie stood back and watched Jez ruin more lives . Jez ' s reign of terror came to an end after Jim McDonald attacked Jez , in retaliation for Jez ' s nearly killing his son Steve . Jez later died in hospital due to a ruptured spleen and Jim was charged with manslaughter . Departure . Natalie started to get her life back together ( knowing that she was pregnant by Vinny ) , but she faced another blow when she discovered that Vinny was having an affair with her sister , Debs , who had recently moved to Weatherfield after working as a hairdresser on cruise ships for many years . Natalie decided that what Debs and Vinny did was unforgivable and before giving Debs a notice of eviction from No . 6 , she washed her hands of both of them ; they both left Weatherfield for Southampton , with Vinny hoping for a job alongside his newfound love Debs on a cruise ship , unaware that Natalie was pregnant . Natalie wanted the baby but decided that she didn ' t want to bring her child up in a pub and in Weatherfield . She decided to sell the Rovers for a new life with her cousin Helen in the Cotswolds , but there was some protesting from the residents when Natalie decided to sell to the Boozy Chain , who had intentions on calling the place The Boozy Newt . After some negotiation , businessmen Duggie Ferguson , Fred Elliott and Mike Baldwin agreed to buy the pub and save it from its fate with the Boozy Chain . Quotes . " Is your husband in ? " ( First line , to Sally Webster ) " Thank you ! Bye ! " ( Final line )