Janet Barlow Janet Felicity Barlow ( née Reid ) was Ken Barlow ' s second wife . Ken hoped that she be a mother to his twin children from his first marriage but after a happy elopement in Scotland in 1973 , Janet fought Ken ' s plans to have the twins live with them , causing a difference of opinion which led to their separation in 1974 . Janet flitted in and out of Ken ' s life until 1977 , when she killed herself by taking an overdose when Ken turned down a reconciliation . Janet also had relationships with Len Fairclough and Alan Howard . She worked as a town clerk . Biography . Janet Reid was born in Keswick , Cumbria on 6th May 1942 . As a girl , Janet went to Alderley Edge several times a year with her uncle George and cousin Marilyn , who was about the same age as her . She grew into a woman who hated settling for second best ; she wanted a loving husband , her own career and a detached house . By 1969 , Janet was working in Weatherfield as a Town Clerk , and in July of that year was dating Councillor Len Fairclough . Len loved Janet and planned to propose but his feelings weren ' t reciprocated , so Janet dumped him before he had a chance to ask her to marry him . As a local to the area , Janet knew some of the residents , and in 1971 she worked for a short while in the Corner Shop while Irma Barlow was sick and took up residence in the shop flat . While there , she developed an interest in Alan Howard , an acquaintance of Len ' s . Alan was open to an affair and they shared a kiss , but when Janet followed him on a business trip to Leeds , nothing happened between them but Alan ' s wife Elsie soon found out what they had been up to and confronted Janet , telling her exactly what she thought of her . She then forced her to leave the area . In mid - 1973 , Janet resigned from her job at the Town Hall as she felt taken for granted there . She was taken on at at the Department of Education , and in September she began seeing Ken Barlow , a teacher at Bessie Street School ; her first man in a year . They got on surprisingly well , leading Ken to invite her to Scotland to spend time with his eight - year - old twins Peter and Susan , who had been living there since Ken ' s first wife Val died . Ken was looking to marry so that his children would have two parents , and Janet had fallen for Ken , so they made a quick decision to marry while in a stopover in Keswick visiting Janet ' s parents . Janet felt that Ken ' s career prospects boded well for their future together , and upon their return they set about looking for a house . Janet had her eye on a £12 , 000 detached house and Ken agreed to it , despite not being keen himself . Janet was very angry when Ken was late to an appointment at the estate agents and lost them the house ; when he gave her the news apologetically , a blazing row followed , the first of many for the couple . Early in 1974 , Ken persuaded Janet that they should rent 11 Coronation Street , which came fully furnished . As Ken made plans for the twins to move to Weatherfield , Janet started getting cold feet about being a mother to his children and made discrete enquiries at the Lindens Boarding School with the intention of packing them off . When Ken found out about her plans , he was furious , feeling that she had betrayed him as she knew Ken ' s children living with him was the primary reason for marrying . Janet and Ken eventually made up and Janet agreed to have the twins live with them but to Ken ' s disappointment , they felt settled in Scotland and didn ' t want to return . The marriage was never strong . Janet soon felt she didn ' t have faith in Ken ' s ability to further his career , and that he would always take the easy option in life . When he was offered a highly - paid supervisory position at the Mark Brittain Warehouse , Ken turned it down as he preferred teaching . It was the final straw for Janet , who left him , feeling they were not right for each other . Janet moved on with her life , and in January 1975 saw Ken about arranging a divorce . Later that year , Janet was seeing Vince Denton and was surprised when Ken drove the taxi which picked her up for a fare . Janet didn ' t have long - term plans with Vince and the relationship was over by 1977 but in February of that year Janet was feeling alone and desperate and tried a reconciliation with Vince . When he refused , she turned up on Ken ' s doorstep and begged him to take her back . He refused , but allowed her to stay the night in his bed while he slept on the sofa . Rejected by the one person she thought would never forsake her , a distraught Janet took an overdose of sleeping pills . Ken discovered her dead in bed the following morning , and the situation was complicated when Ken was initially suspected by the police of murdering her in order to avoid a divorce . The cause of death was ruled as a suicide caused by barbiturate poisoning . Quotes . " Good night . " ( Final line , to Ken Barlow )