Terry fails to turn up at school and Ken lectures Rita about Terry's welfare. Len tells him that he's only interested in Rita's welfare.

Maggie tells Rita she can stay as long as she has to but not a minute longer. When Elsie refuses, Maggie Clegg ( Irene Sutcliffe) takes Rita in. Rita refuses to return to Harry but Len refuses to have her at No.9. Harry kicks Rita out and she dumps herself on Len. Len refuses to pull strings for them and is annoyed at being lied to. Rita and Harry are offered a flat but need a marriage certificate and they reveal to Len that they lied about being married, and Harry has a wife. Len arranges an appointment with them and the housing committee. Rita introduces Len to her husband Harry, convinced Len will get them a house. Len agrees to help her as she's on the housing list. Rita tells Len she has to vacate by the end of the week. Alf tells Betty Turpin ( Betty Driver) that Rita's house is due for demolition and Len is on the housing committee, hence the reason he thinks she's showing an interest in him. Rita entertains Len after getting Terry out of the way. Rita is surprised to find out that Len is a councillor. Len tells her how much he likes her but Alf Roberts ( Bryan Mosley) interrupts them. She obviously is not happy in her marriage. Rita tells Len that her husband is away often working on building motorways. Ray delays going until Rita arrives so he can see who the woman is. Len tells Jerry Booth ( Graham Haberfield) and Ray Langton ( Neville Buswell) to stay out of the house that evening as he's entertaining a lady but to tidy up before they go.

Len arrives at Harry's house to return a scarf that Rita left in his van. Initially attracted to Ken Barlow ( William Roache), Rita later starts an on-off relationship with Len Fairclough ( Peter Adamson). In January 1972, Rita returns to the Street as Rita Bates, living with Harry Bates ( William Simons) as his common-law wife and his twelve-year-old son Terry (John Barrett). It would be over seven years until Rita reappears. Elsie returns to the house, sees the hole and hears about Rita. Dennis pays for the hole to be repaired when Charlie blackmails him over Rita in the bed. He apologises to the figure in the bed and realises it is not Elsie. Charlie Moffitt ( Gordon Rollings) slips on the joists in the loft and puts his foot through the ceiling of Elsie's room. Dennis tells Rita of his disillusionment with showbusiness. The next morning, Lucille Hewitt ( Jennifer Moss) wonders why Dennis is making up a breakfast tray. Emily Nugent ( Eileen Derbyshire) calls on Dennis about panto rehearsals and is shocked to see Rita in her nightie. Dennis worries what people will say about Rita staying with him. She cannot find digs for the week and persuades a reluctant Dennis to let her sleep in his mother Elsie's ( Pat Phoenix) bed while she's away.

Stan Ogden ( Bernard Youens) is taken with a young woman in The Rovers Return Inn and buys her a drink, only for Dennis Tanner ( Philip Lowrie) to step in when he recognises her – Rita Littlewood, a belly dancer who's appearing at the Viaduct Sporting Club. ( February 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.

Rita falt