Bet Lynch Elizabeth Theresa " Bet " Lynch ( previously Gilroy ) is a former barmaid and landlady of the Rovers Return Inn . Bet struck out on her own at a young age , choosing a life of factory and bar work and living in digs in Weatherfield . She was out to enjoy herself and felt most at home behind a bar , where she lavished in the attention of men , although she tended only to attract men who treated her badly or used her . At sixteen she gave birth to a son , Martin , but gave him up for adoption as she wasn ' t ready to be a mother and the father , Joe Mason , had fled after hearing she was pregnant . Bet first arrived in Coronation Street in 1966 for short - term work at the new PVC Factory . She returned to the area in 1970 and was recruited as a barmaid at the Rovers Return by Billy Walker . Landlady Annie Walker was initially against hiring someone she thought of as a tart , although she accepted that Bet improved custom and they soon developed an understanding . In 1985 , Bet successfully applied for the tenancy and took over as landlady , but after borrowing money from club owner Alec Gilroy to keep up with payments to brewery Newton & Ridley , Bet fled to Spain , leaving the brewery and Alec in the lurch . Alec tracked her down and proposed marriage to her - offering her the opportunity to run the Rovers with him . Bet accepted and , at 47 , finally became a bride . While they were an unlikely couple , and often rowed , Bet and Alec were each what the other needed . In 1992 , Alec was offered a job as master of ceremonies on a cruise ship but Bet refused to go with him . Alec left alone , and the marriage was effectively over . Bet stayed on at the Rovers until 1995 when the brewery decided to sell the pub . Unable to afford it , she left Weatherfield and eventually moved to Brighton with Alec ' s granddaughter Vicky McDonald . Bet returned to Weatherfield in 2002 to testify in court against a former lover who had stolen from her , but lost the case and left abruptly . In 2003 , she was set to marry Cecil Newton in Blackpool but he died from a heart attack before making it to the altar , and Bet returned to Brighton . Most of Bet ' s key relationships were with men , and over time she became more cynical about their intentions , with a jaded outlook on life but usually able to hide any pain behind a smile . She liked to dress in a way she considered glamorous , and had a fondness for leopard print clothes and a beehive hairstyle . Biography . 1942 - 1969 : Early years . Bet Lynch was born to parents Patrick and Mary Lynch . Her father left when she was six months old , and although Bet had received a strict Catholic upbringing by her mother , it didn ' t stop her becoming Miss Weatherfield in 1957 . When she was sixteen , she met a man called Joe Mason at a party . He was twelve years older than her . After getting her pregnant , Joe fled and Bet gave birth to a baby boy called Martin who she was forced to give up for adoption . A family called the Downes adopted Martin . Bet arrived in Coronation Street in 1966 , after getting a job at the PVC factory . She had an affair with her boss John Benjamin and gave Lucille Hewitt a black eye because of her jealousy over Lucille ' s speed of welding . She moved away from the area a few weeks later . 1970 - 1986 : Behind the bar of the Rovers . Bet returned to the Street in 1970 when she bumped into Irma Barlow , with whom she had worked in the factory . Later in the year , Billy Walker employed her as a junior barmaid at the Rovers , a place where she would work for the next twenty - five years . She entered into relationships with many men , including well - known Street residents such as Len Fairclough and Mike Baldwin . In 1975 , Bet received news that her son Martin , now a soldier , had been killed in action while serving in Northern Ireland . She also found out that he had tracked her down but , disgusted by her overt sexual nature , left without telling her who he was . Bet was devastated and briefly considered suicide but was talked out of the idea by Eddie Yeats . When Annie Walker retired in 1984 , her son Billy took over licence of the Rovers . He was involved in various dodgy dealings and screwed up frequently . He was the landlord for less than a year ; he had no real interest in running the pub and got in trouble after holding lock - ins . Newton & Ridley were unhappy with the way Billy was running the pub into the ground and made him an offer he couldn ' t refuse for the licence . The brewery decided to appoint a manager rather than sell the licence . Bet applied for the job but lacked the necessary experience , but , after receiving a petition from the regulars , Sarah Ridley appointed a flabbergasted but ecstatic Bet the new manageress of the Rovers . She moved out of the Corner Shop flat and into the Rovers in January 1985 . The Rovers was gutted by fire in 1986 with Bet trapped in the upstairs front bedroom . She was saved by Kevin Webster but the pub was so damaged that the brewery considered pulling it down . They soon changed their minds and the Rovers was completely redecorated with Bet retained as manageress . 1987 - 1994 : Marriage to Alec Gilroy . During the rebuild , Alec Gilroy found himself enjoying an increase in business at the Graffiti Club with the Rovers out of action . As a result , he and Bet spent time together , and Alec found himself attracted to her and made no secret of it . When the Rovers reopened it struggled to regain custom , so Alec provided some musical acts to help entice the regulars back . When the tenancy of the Rovers was being sold by the brewery in 1987 , Bet couldn ' t come up with the money she needed to buy it , so Alec stepped in and offered her a loan . Bet struggled to keep up with the payments and , in a moment of panic , disappeared leaving Alec and the brewery in the lurch . She finally contacted Newton & Ridley months later and informed them she was living in Torremolinos . Alec managed to track her down and bring her back , and then proposed to her telling her that as his wife she wouldn ' t have to worry about the repayments and could continue to manage the Rovers . She accepted , reasoning that unlike most men she ' d been with Alec hadn ' t pretended to love her and the two were married in September . The marriage went better than expected , and by 1988 Bet had fallen pregnant . She and Alec were shocked , but both came round to the idea of being parents . However , she had a miscarriage and lost the baby leaving them heartbroken , but they put on a brave face and carried on . In 1992 , Alec was offered a job in Southampton and wanting to accept , argued with Bet that he had given her five years of running her own pub and now it was time for her to return the favour . Bet agreed , and the couple sold the Rovers back to the brewery . However , as the time to leave approached , Bet found herself completely unable to tear herself away from the pub where she had lived and worked for years . On the day of departure she told Alec she had persuaded Newton & Ridley to allow her to stay on as manager . Alec was livid and gave her an ultimatum : either she left with him or he would go alone and their marriage would be over . Bet chose the pub over her husband , and as far as Alec was concerned she was the one abandoning their marriage . He told her to tell people that he before he left . 1994 - 1995 : Leaving the Rovers . Newton & Ridley decided once again to sell up in 1995 , but this time they were selling the whole pub and not just the licence . Bet was offered first refusal , but she knew that she had no hope of coming up with the large sum they demanded . She tried to get the money together as best as she could , finally turning to close friend Rita Sullivan with the idea of a managing partnership . Rita seriously considered the idea and came close to agreeing , as she had the money and it seemed like a good investment . However she began to get doubts when Bet began telling the residents that they were buying the Rovers when Rita hadn ' t actually agreed to the partnership . After seeking advice from Alf Roberts , Rita realised that as Bet had no savings despite claiming the Rovers was a success then both she and the business were a bad risk to back and pulled out . Bet , who had been led to believe that Rita was going to agree , was furious and they had a heated argument in The Kabin . Old resentments and bitter words were exchanged which ended the pair ' s years - long friendship permanently . Bet then tried to ask step - granddaughter Vicky to borrow the money , but Vicky turned down the offer knowing Bet would never be able to pay it back . In at attempt at reconciliation , Vicky offered to buy Bet a house instead and charge her nominal rent however Bet was indignant at Vicky ' s offer and refused . She then told her to leave and , realising she now had no chance of buying of Rovers and was about to lose her job and home , threw everybody out of the pub in a fit of anger . Deciding to leave Weatherfield on her own terms , she quickly called a taxi and quietly left ( not knowing where she was going ) only saying goodbye to Don Brennan . She officially resigned from the pub the next day . In a twist of fate , Alec returned to Weatherfield shortly after her departure and started working for the Duckworths when they took over the pub . Bet did not return for Betty Turpin ' s wedding to Billy Williams later in the year . 1995 - 2003 : Later years . After leaving the Rovers and Weatherfield behind , Bet ended up in Tenerife where she met new lover , Bruce . He died suddenly and left her his boat , which she later sold in 1999 to raise much - needed funds . Bet returned to Weatherfield in June 2002 for Betty ' s " retirement " party , which delighted her old friend . Bet revealed that she had made up with Vicky and had been running different pubs across the country for the last seven years , before finally settling down in Brighton . Audrey Roberts offered Bet a room at her house so she would have somewhere to sleep for the night - although Bet intended on staying for two weeks . A hesitant Rita turned up at Audrey ' s house the next day , hoping to make amends with Bet and salvage their friendship . After a grudging heart - to - heart , Bet revealed that she had moved on from Weatherfield , and that Rita ' s refusal to help probably did her the world of good . She also said that , despite all the airs and graces she put on , all Rita did was run The Kabin . Rita , feeling insulted , told Bet that she had turned into a hard , petty woman . It was later revealed that the reason Bet was back so she could testify against a former lover , Phil Bennett , who stole money from her . Both Mike Baldwin and Audrey went to court to support Bet , but she lost her case and once again left Weatherfield . In November 2003 , Bet crossed paths with Liz McDonald in Blackpool . Bet became involved in Liz ' s problems - her husband Jim was on the run , having escaped prison . Bet was also due to be married to former brewery boss Cecil Newton , but he died of a heart attack just prior to their wedding ceremony . Bet later returned to Brighton . Quotes . " Its all right kid , come on . " ( First line , to Cilla ) " Me behind a bar , I ' m in me element . I ' m like Santa Claus in his grotto . " ( about her career and love of pubs ) " You know them old paintings , where there ' s angels come out of he sky like and all rays of light and cupids wi ' trumpets ? It ' s a bit like that when Nellie Harvey walks in . "