Ingrid Coates (Minna Aaltonen) 1998-1999 Duration: EP: 96 - 104  |  SE: 2.32 – 2.40 Ingrid met Ian Coates in 1991 when he transferred to the Eredivisie League in Holland, and her father was his agent. They married, but after one season Ian's playing career came to an early end, and a previously under-control drinking problem spiralled into full alcoholism. At this same time, Ingrid gave birth to their son Peter but this didn't convince Ian to seek help for his demons, he in fact got worse; disappearing for days and Ingrid once found him licking vodka off the bathroom floor. It was when Leah was born the following year that made Ian sort himself out, and he went from her birth at the hospital to his first AA meeting. Ian got his career back on track, and became manager of PSV Eindhoven. In December 1997, Ian took the opportunity to manage in the English Premier League when Harchester United needed a permanent manager. This meant that Ian would be away from his family for extended periods of time. Into his second season with the club, Ingrid didn't want the children to miss another Christmas with their dad, so makes a surprise arrival at the club's Christmas party, at the precise moment Ian is losing his rag over Karl Fletcher flirting with his secret lover, youth team educational officer Helen Jensen! Helen has had no idea about Ian's family, and at Christmas dinner there is an awkward moment when Leah finds the present he was planning on giving Helen, which Ingrid thinks is for her, a white gold necklace. Helen finds herself encountering Ingrid throughout her time in Harchester, first at an away match at the Valley against Charlton, where she not only has to sit next to Ian's family but Leah has to sit on Helen's lap. Ingrid then asks Helen to have lunch with her, and although hesitant, Helen agrees. After Ingrid has given Helen a lengthy and personal chat about her life with Ian, they order coffees and when Helen asks for De-Caff it transpires she knows Ian drinks it with a dash of milk and one sugar. Ingrid is stunned to hear this - as Ian only takes it like that first thing in the morning, and it dawns on her that Helen shares more with Ian than her job. The truth explodes for Ian, and when he decides to stay with his job, and Helen, in Harchester, Ingrid takes the children back to Holland.