Kathy is introduced shortly after her daughter Sarah Barnes. Kathy is strictly training Sarah for numerous swimming contests and a future career in the sport. Sarah feels suffocated by Kathy's pressure and finds support in the form of boyfriend Rhys Ashworth. Kathy's husband Mike and their second daughter Amy then arrive. Kathy sees Sarah's boyfriend Rhys Ashworth as a threat to her hope of Sarah becoming a swimmer. Kathy then sleeps with Rhys and blackmails him into breaking up with her. During a massive row over Sarah and Rhys getting back together at Mike and Kathy's anniversary party, Gilly Roach inadvertently shouts out that Rhys and Kathy slept together, in front of Sarah, Amy and Mike. Sarah is hurt and disgusted with Rhys and Kathy, while Amy is left shocked and distressed by the r