Sharon Bentley Sharon Bentley ( née Gaskell ) was fostered by Len and Rita Fairclough as a teenager during 1982 . In 1999 , she returned to Coronation Street to reconnect with Rita before marrying Ian Bentley but the two had a falling - out after Sharon married Ian despite him two - timing her . Biography . 1954 - 1984 : Early life . Sharon Gaskell was born on 22nd March 1965 . In March 1982 , Sharon was in foster care and was waiting to be sent to live with her long - term foster parents , the Boltons , but a problem arose which meant she had to wait until May . In the meantime , she was fostered by Len and Rita Fairclough in Weatherfield . She enjoyed her stay at first , coming to see Len and Rita as parents , but she fell out with Len when at her 17th birthday party Len caught Sharon ' s boyfriend Steve Dunthorne trying to lead her upstairs . At the same party , Sharon ' s brother Wayne showed up and caused trouble , the pair apparently having a difficult relationship . Len forbade Sharon and Steve from having sex . Sharon liked the Faircloughs and , on meeting the Boltons , decided that they were too posh and ran away to Coronation Street to demand to stay with Len and Rita until she was eighteen . Don Worthington from the agency was against this but bowed to Sharon ' s wishes as Len and Rita were equally keen for Sharon to stay with them . While staying with the Faircloughs , Sharon lent Len a hand at the Builder ' s Yard , surprising him with her carpentry skills . He allowed her to help him rebuild No . 7 , which he intended to sell but Sharon and Rita ganged up on him to talk him round to the idea of selling No . 9 and moving into the newer house . In September , Sharon fell for Brian Tilsley and started pursuing him even thought he had a wife and son . Brian noticed her interest in him but was faithful to Gail and did nothing to encourage Sharon , although he didn ' t put her straight as he enjoyed the attention . When Sharon heard Brian was looking for a babysitter for Nicky , she saw an opportunity to get close to Brian and Gail agreed to take her on occasionally . On Brian ' s birthday , Sharon presented him with a keyring as a present . Brian decided things had gone far enough and told Sharon to back off , but she took no notice and stole a photograph of him . Gail , who until now had been in the dark , witnessed Brian struggling with Sharon to get his photograph back but Gail saw Sharon as a silly teenager with a crush and asked Rita to sort her out . When questioned by Rita , Sharon said that she and Brian were in love and that Brian had initiated it . They nearly fell out when Rita slapped Sharon after Sharon called her a hypocrite as she ' d lived with Harry Bates . Sharon refused to believe that Brian didn ' t love her until he told him himself . It was eventually agreed that Sharon shouldn ' t see Brian any more . At the end of the year , Sharon was told that Social Services had found a job for her as a kennel maid in Sheffield , living with the Stringers . Len offered her an apprenticeship at the yard to keep her in Weatherfield but Sharon turned it down , feeling that staying close to Brian would be a bad idea . Sharon returned to the Street in December 1983 after hearing about Len ' s death in a road accident . There , she caught Curly Watts ' s eye . Sharon was embarrassed when Curly read out a poem about his feelings for her but agreed to go out with him . On their date , they ran into Terry Duckworth ( who Sharon fancied ) and Sharon ditched Curly to go to a UB40 concert with Terry . Sharon returned to Sheffield the next day . 1984 - 1999 : Return . Fifteen years later Sharon returned to Weatherfield to invite Rita to her wedding . Sharon was engaged to a man named Ian Bentley , a sales representative , and Rita persuaded Sharon to have her wedding in Weatherfield . Sharon became friends with Sally Webster who ; like Sharon , had a close relationship with Rita . Unfortunately , Ian began having an affair with the recently widowed Natalie Barnes who already had a reputation as a home - wrecker after her affair with Sally ' s husband Kevin Webster . Sharon discovered the affair but seemed determined to go through with the wedding . However , during the service Sharon called Ian a liar in front of the assembled congregation and jilted him . Happy that Sharon decided to stay around after the wedding fiasco , Rita offered Sharon a job at Rita ' s newsagent The Kabin and Alec Gilroy ' s old flat No . 12 . Sharon happily accepted , although she soon clashed with Rita ' s assistant Leanne Battersby . Much to Leanne ' s horror , and that of few of Rita ' s other friends , Rita offered The Kabin to Sharon as a birthday gift . Rita admitted to Sharon that she was lonely , that was why she offered Sharon the business . Her gesture was a living legacy from a woman who always looked upon Sharon as the daughter she never had . Rita was happy to pass on her experience knowing that The Kabin would be well looked after in years to come . Soon afterwards , Sharon began dating Danny Hargreaves , but it ended when Danny realised that he was in love with Sally . A depressed Sharon attempted suicide by taking an overdose but couldn ' t go through with it . After her suicide bid , she got in contact with Ian again and rekindled their relationship , the pair realising they still loved each other . Rita was angered when Sharon announced her intention to marry Ian and sell The Kabin in order to buy a house in Bolton . Rita eventually bought the business back from Sharon and told her not to expect anything else from her . Sharon married Ian and left the area , never to return . Quotes . " I like anything . Have you got any kids , grown up ones , you know left home ? " ( First line , to Rita Fairclough ) " Rita , please . . . please be happy for us . Me and Ian , we ' re right together . " ( Final line )