成人快手

Where is she now?

In the period between Series 7 and the start of series 8 Ruth and Steve have reconciled. In a bid to start afresh they have moved to Newcastle, where Steve was offered a job having spent time training there last series. Leaving Cai and Kirsty behind was tough, but with the kids standing on their own two feet Ruth accepted nothing was holding them to Bryncoed anymore.

In the early days Ruth tried to wrench her husband away from the influence of his mother but failed to make any impact whatsoever. There was no way he was moving home or job. What she never bargained for was the emotional attachment of the garage for Steve - it was his Dad's dream and Steve was determined to live it for him.

She had Hannah and Cai in quick succession in her mid-20s, and as soon as Cai was in school she went back to work - starting on the till at the Ponty branch of a national chain store. She worked her way up to be head of department in a Cardiff branch, but at the end of Series 1 turned down the opportunity of promotion because Steve wouldn't move to Bristol.

Taking care of business...

Following her decision to stay in Bryncoed, she decided to make the most of her future there. Bored and stymied in her job she relished the idea of going into business with her best friend Delyth, when she thought about opening an upmarket caf茅 bar in Bryncoed. However, Delyth's aspirations for an upmarket cafe were too posh for Bryncoed, and Ruth quickly realised that sticking to Delyth's high standards would result in their ruin.

It was the discovery of Steve's adultery, and the realisation that she could lose her husband because of her business, which prompted Ruth to lay down the gauntlet, and take sole control of the business - at this point called Ruth's Diner. Confident that his affair was over, Ruth never confronted Steve with her discovery afraid that by doing so she'd be opening a Pandora's Box that they would never be able to put behind them.

This instinct paid off and in series 3, she persuaded Steve to sell the garage - thus finally managing to supersede her mother-in-law. This all made for domestic harmony, which came in handy when they discovered that their daughter had started seeing boys and taking drugs. Ruth was the one who was more able to rationalise the situation and she had a calming influence on her temperamental husband.

Dissatisfied

Despite a happy home life and a good business, Ruth developed a small crush on her husband's friend Moz and during a weak moment, kissed him when her husband was in the next room. Things never went any further but when she discovered that he had slept with her own daughter, she saw red.

In spite of her anger she sought to protect Moz and Hannah from Steve's wrath, and in the process had to pretend that more had gone on between her and Moz than really had.

Series five

The chickens came home to roost for Ruth in series 5 when all the secrets and lies were exposed. She never found it in herself to trust "new" Steve and her "need to know" policy blew up in her face when Moz finally revealed their hate shag.

With only Cai speaking to her, Ruth was desperate to get her family back together during series six, but Steve wanted a divorce. Ruth was devastated to find out that Cai had got Stacey pregnant, and tried to persuade Stacey to have an abortion. She used the situation to get Steve back on board, but it backfired when Steve chose instead to take Debbie's outlook and allow the kids to work it out for themselves. Worse, Steve started a relationship with Debbie and moved in, insisting Ruth put the Lewis family home up for sale.

The only bright point was that Hannah eventually forgave her and moved back in with Ruth. Ruth ended the series devastated and knowing that although Steve still loved her, he couldn't be with her any longer. There seemed to be no reason for her to stay, and she suggested to Hannah that they move to London.

In Series 7, Ruth sold up but delayed the move to London, reluctant to leave Cai on his own since having a baby. She got a new supervisor's job at a supermarket, and had to sort out her love life.

• Catch up with characters from Series 8.