The secretive, overly defensive and overall run-down Sammy Hughes was the objectional mother of Darren Hughes. Her life was a misery, as she lived in a girthy terrace cornered with criminals and chavs. She slept on the bed while Darren got the couch in the living room.
It also appears that Sammy makes a living as a prostitute. Darren mentions that sleeping in the living room isn't so bad as he "doesn't have to see the other blokes". This is further shown after Christine witnesses a man entering the flat as she leaves after Sammy shows little interest in the news that Darren has been taking indecent images of girls at Waterloo Road.
In Series 10 Episode 1, Christine Mulgrew returns to her home after Darren steals approximately £400 from Sammy's boyfriend, only to find her lying in her bed, dead from a drug overdose.