WHY ARE THEY FAMOUS: TRACY SHAW

Main claim

Soap star. Try-hard sex symbol. Suffering fiancee and keen participant in the celebrity spread. Tracy Shaw plays Corrie crimper Maxine Heavey, but there the copious round of in-your-face exposure merely begins. For Ms Shaw is happy to keep the readers of both the tabloids and celeb mags well up to date with her news. We've had Tracy Shaw the beaming wife-to- be, posing triumphantly with serial fiance Darren Day. We've had Tracy Shaw, the heartbroken lovely, dumped by said love rat. Most importantly, we've had Tracy Shaw, The Body. Our heroine's battle with anorexia has inspired lengthy column inches, confessions, recovery and steamy poses. Latest is a series of snaps under the heading "Racy Tracy" is our heroine in barely clad, coy-yet-provocative mode, sucking one finger and revealing much breastage. In the meantime, the finger-sucking one is set to star in the usual Soap Wedding of the Year when she marries some Coronation Street butcher chap on 24 September.

Appearance

Cheshire Life cover girl given to sunbeds and pastel eyeshadow. Perma- tanned catalogue model. New member of Steps.

Family values

Northener Tracy is 26. She was a boarder at drama school. Her father was a pub landlord. Her parents recently broke up, and her half-sister was born a few months ago. Tracy on her father: "I'm a real daddy's girl." Brother Karl on Tracy: "Tracy is a bit of a babe." That's the family stuff, then.

Thin end

While in her second year of drama school, Tracy was admitted to a psychiatric ward with anorexia nervosa. She plummeted to six stone before receiving successful counselling. So successful, she delightedly poses in stringy bikinis and transparent baby doll dresses with fluffy mules. Lovely.

Boy toys

Tracy is currently dating 22-year-old model Matt Bailey. Manchester United ace Dwight Yorke reportedly bombards her with flowers and phone calls. "I've been cheated on, dumped and betrayed," trills our heroine. Ah, bless.

Fame prospects

Tracy should read Fat is a Feminist Issue followed by The Beauty Myth. She should then do a season of Ibsen and a gritty Channel 4 drama. Then again, she's making leaps and bounds in the fame stakes just as she is. Pass the latest grimy tabloid.