One major storyline involving Mike came in 1983 when he had an affair with Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride). Before her marriage to Ken Barlow (William Roache), Deirdre had dated Mike, but decided Ken suited her better. When their marriage became jaded, she turned to Mike. After she had confessed everything to Ken, Mike turned up on the doorstep in the hope of taking her away, but she decided to stay with Ken. This event began the long-running feud between Mike and Ken. Mike went on to marry Ken's daughter, Susan Barlow (Wendy Jane Walker), who was many years his junior. This upset Ken further. The marriage failed because Mike and Susan disagreed about their plans for the future. On discovering that Susan was pregnant, Mike wanted her to become a stay-at-home wife and mother but Susan decided to have an abortion, and moved to Newcastle after just a year of marriage.