I was Coronation Street’s first Tracey Barlow – now I’ve quit acting for a totally different job and I love it
ORIGINAL Tracy Barlow actress Dawn Acton quit acting to work in the charity sector and is a part time DJ – admitting she loves her life now.
Dawn joined the soap in 1988 when she was just 11 years old and saw Tracy through her very troubled teen years before leaving in 1999.
However, when Tracy returned to the cobbles in 2003, Dawn auditioned for her old role – but lost out to Kate Ford who still plays her today.
Dawn, from Ashton-Under-Lyne, then found solace in music and became a DJ, becoming quite famous in Corrie’s hometown of Manchester.
Speaking in 2016, she revealed she lives in the city and she volunteers for the charity Beanstalk, which teaches children to read.
The mum of one said: “Obviously I do miss working in Corrie but I do find the work I do now very rewarding.
“The fact is I believe everyone should have the chance to learn to read.
“I still do DJ-ing but I like volunteering for Beanstalk as I supported children to read about things they were interested in and for them to be able to get enjoyment from it.”
She added in an interview with Christine Lampard on Lorraine in 2019: “Oh I love my music, I’ve been DJing for over 15 years now.
“I love my live gigs.”
When actress Anne Kirkbride died in 2015, Dawn paid tribute to her screen mum Deirdre.
She said: “She was always so great with kids and she just had a really funny sense of humour, we got on immediately and had lots of fun together.
“She did see me grow up and she was always really supportive.”
In 2013, Dawn shaved her head for charity in 2013, in memory of her late mother Jean and said she had followed her mum into the charity work.
She added: “When my son was young and I wasn’t working as much through the day I had some time on my hands and I love reading and it’s all about trying to help children understand that reading isn’t necessarily a chore.’
During Dawn’s time in the show viewers were gripped in 1995 by Tracy’s resentment of her mother Deirdre during her stormy marriage with husband Ken.
Before Dawn came along, Tracy was played by baby Christabel Finch and then tot Holly Chamarette.