Maggie McLean

Maggie is a working-class woman who has taken her fair share of knocks along the way. While pregnant with her eldest child, Caitlin, Maggie started drinking more heavily, eventually becoming an alcoholic. Like many alcoholics, Maggie can turn on the charm when she wants and be very manipulative. Ellie tends to fall for it, always trying to see the best in her mother, but Caitlin is wise to it and will call her on it.

When she was diagnosed with liver cancer, Maggie’s desperate search for a donor was unsuccessful. Caitlin reached out to Maggie’s brother John, however Maggie adamantly refused her brother’s help – she’s rather die. When things took a turn for the worst and Maggie became unconscious, Caitlin signed the consent and omitted to tell doctors of her mother’s objections. Maggie woke up from surgery to be told by her daughter’s that she had a transplant and the organ came from a random donor.

It was a new lease of life for Maggie; things were sweet, until brother John appeared back in the picture and it was revealed that the donor liver was his. Maggie spiralled out of control; she hit the bottle and was soon disowned by her girls. Fearing that John would poison her children’s’ lives like he poisoned hers, Maggie felt she was out of options. She told her daughters that her brother raped her and that he’s Caitlin’s father. The bombshell completely rocked the family, seeing Caitlin turning her back on her mother. Ellie however, supported Maggie, encouraging Maggie to report what happened to her and chase John out of town and out her life.

Maggie has been sober ever since but Caitlin’s birthday was a painful reminder, which was made worse by the return of granddaughter Ruby. Ruby confided in Maggie that she’d fallen pregnant and was going for an abortion. With Ruby refusing to tell Caitlin and unable to let her fifteen year old grandchild go through an abortion alone, Maggie supported her through the procedure. The weight of her decision saw Maggie hit the bottle once again. Revealing Ruby’s secret to Caitlin appeared to be the solution to her problems but Caitlin and Ellie refused to see reason. Having lost her daughters, the last person Maggie had to rely on was Ruby. But on Hogmanay, a drunken Maggie fell asleep, leaving Ruby outside where she was hit by a firework.

Since then, Maggie went back to nursing and has been getting her life back on track. But with the murder of Joe Dunn, and with Maggie helping to move his body, her family life has been strained once again.

Maggie is a working-class woman in her late fifties, who has taken her fair share of knocks along the way. After the birth of her second child, Ellie, Maggie started drinking more heavily, eventually becoming an alcoholic. For many years, however, she was still able to function and flit from part-time job to part-time job, particularly with Caitlin on hand to take the pressure off and look after her baby sister.

Like many alcoholics, Maggie can turn on the charm when she wants and be very manipulative. Ellie tends to fall for it, always trying to see the best in her mother, but Caitlin is wise to it and will call her on it.

When Maggie was diagnosed with liver cancer, she confided in Caitlin and swore her to secrecy, fearing vulnerable Ellie would be unable to cope. But Maggie quite quickly deteriorated and found out that without a transplant she would die. Her hand was forced and she had to tell Ellie her secret. Maggie’s desperate search for a donor was unsuccessful. Both daughters were unable to help, as was pal Suzie Fraser, but Caitlin had another idea. She reached out to Maggie’s brother John and much to Caitlin’s delight he was a match. Maggie, however, adamantly refused her brother’s help – she’s rather die.

Maggie stayed firm in her belief but the decision was taken out of her hands. When things took a turn for the worst and Maggie became unconscious, Caitlin signed the consent and omitted to tell doctors of her mother’s objections. Maggie woke up from surgery to be told by her daughter’s that she had a transplant and the organ came from a random donor.

It was a new lease of life for Maggie; she helped Caitlin plan her wedding to Pete and helped Ellie realise her feelings for AJ. Things were sweet, until brother John appeared back in the picture and it was revealed that the donor liver was his. Maggie spiralled out of control; she hit the bottle and was soon disowned by her girls. On the day of Caitlin’s wedding, Maggie, out of options, feared that John would poison her children’s’ lives like he poisoned hers. She told her daughters that her brother raped her and that he’s Caitlin’s father. The bombshell completely rocked the family, seeing Caitlin turning her back on her mother. Ellie however, supported Maggie and encouraged her to report what happened to her.

With John having been chased out of town, Maggie is desperate to make amends with her daughters and rebuild their family, but is it too late?

Played by Kathryn Howden