Rachel Craig (Annabel Reid) 2006-2007

First Regular Appearance: 10.6 (#393) Trust  Sunday 3rd December 2006

Last Regular Appearance: 10.18 (#405) Educating Amy  Sunday 25th February 2007

Duration: EP: 393 - 405  |  SE: 10.6 – 10.18

Last Seen: Going to live with her boyfriend following the breakdown of her marriage to Jimmy.

Rachel was seventeen when she first got together with Jimmy Craig, at a time when he was a young talent at Leeds United. Both sets of parents hoped the relationship would fizzle out, but Rachel and Jimmy spent all of their spare time together in secret, and found their big escape when Jimmy signed with Sheffield Wednesday. Within a year the two had married and become parents themselves to a daughter, Gemma. After six years at Wednesday, Jimmy transferred to Queens Park Rangers, but when the time came in 1996 for Jimmy to sign for Newcastle, Rachel stayed in London, not wanting another upheaval for she and the young Gemma. Jimmy was away for most of the year every season, and this did not change after he retired from playing in 2002, for his training for his coaching badges kept him away. The continued absence of a husband and father had an affect on Rachel and Gemma, and they became accustomed to living apart.

By 2006 Jimmy is back where it all started for him, as Reserve Team Coach at Leeds, when his old Wednesday team mate Alex Dempsey asks him to take over as manager of Premiership club Harchester United. Rachel is awaiting Gemma's return from a holiday in Turkey, when she gets an unexpected call to join Gemma and Jimmy at his new club. Arriving, she gets the shock of her life when Jimmy introduces a Turkish man called Izmet, whom Gemma has married! While Rachel tells Jimmy to focus on keeping the biggest job of his career, she sets about finding what Izmet really wants - a pay off to annul his marriage to Gemma and disappear. Gemma accuses her mother of ruining her life and has nowhere else to live but with Jimmy in Harchester, which Rachel doesn't think is a bad idea, as it would benefit Gemma to have her father's presence in her life after so long.

Rachel plans to spend Christmas with the family but when Gemma is in a car crash she arrives sooner. Things are soon prickly between the two when Gemma overhears her mom telling someone she misses them, and it is clear Rachel is hiding something. As Rachel heads back to London, Gemma collapses as a result of the accident, and falls into a coma. Jimmy and Rachel don't leave Gemma's bedside as her condition slowly improves. Rachel is supportive of Liam visiting Gemma, but Jimmy is not so sure, looking to blame him for Gemma's accident.

When a man arrives at the hospital looking for Rachel, Katy speaks with him and susses something is up. Rachel cannot hide that the man, David is in fact her secret boyfriend and after Jimmy punches him, the two finally talk about how their marriage is only surviving for Gemma. When Tom Magee, a journalist threatens that he will reveal Rachel's affair to show Jimmy's home life is affecting his managing of the club, Rachel decides it is best that she goes back to David, officially showing her separation from Jimmy.