Suranne Jones felt that Steve was "definitely the man for Karen" as the two characters had "similar personalities". She stated that Karen had dumped her previous boyfriend, Vikram, because he "wasn't racy enough and doesn't have the edge Steve has". In September 2001 Suranne Jones stated that she "[feels] sorry for Steve sometimes" in regard to Karen's negative characteristics. She indicated that she'd "love to see Steve and Karen having the same impact on viewers as Dirty Den and Angie did". In November 2001 the two characters fall out because Karen insults Steve's mother Liz, though they later end up back together. Discussing the success of the pairing, Simon Gregson compared Steve and Karen to "a mini Jack and Vera" with "the shouting and the arguments" and "the feistiness of the characters". He added that Steve and Karen "can't live with each other and can't live without each other". Gregson also remarked that the relationship was "going back to what Coronation Street set out to be" which he felt to be "hen-pecked husbands and very strong women". On 13 May 2004, it was revealed that Suranne Jones had decided to leave "Coronation Street" after four years of playing Karen McDonald. Discussing her reason for quitting Jones said: "I just think the time is right for me to move on and explore other acting opportunities". She also revealed that she loved playing Karen and thanked her co-stars including Simon Gregson who plays Steve McDonald and revealed that if it was not for the material and Gregson that she would not be where she is today and that she was very grateful. Jones also revealed that there would be a big fight scene between her and Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) before she leaves. She filmed her final scenes in November 2004 and they were broadcast on Boxing Day 2004. Jones revealed that she would be open to returning to "Coronation Street" sometime in the future revealing that she told the producers that she wanted to do other things first before she went back. The character of Karen was generally well received by the public and the British Media. In February 2002 "The Sunday Mirror" stated that Suranne Jones had "proved an instant hit with viewers" after joining the serial in June 2000. In December 2002 the "Coventry Evening Telegraph" ran a headline describing the character as "Britain's Favourite TV Bitch". In 2003, the 'will they, won't they?' storyline between Karen and Joe Carter was a ratings winner with over 15 million viewers tuning in, maintaining the high ratings of the highly successful Richard Hillman murder storyline.