 Steve, however, quickly reassures Becky that he and Karen divorced for several reasons.Suranne Jones was cast as machinist Karen by then producer Jane Macnaught in early 2000, having previously appeared briefly in April 1997 as Mandy Phillips, the girlfriend of Chris Collins (Matthew Marsden).In May 2004, just days after winning the award for 'Best Actress' at "The British Soap Awards" Jones announced that she was leaving the serial to pursue other projects with Granada TV.