Farewell Deirdre Barlow: Anne Kirkbride, 60, dies following 43 years on Coronation Street - just three months after her last appearance
- 'Heartbroken and deeply saddened' cast and crew of Corrie pay tribute
- As Deirdre her career was unmatched in terms of drama and longevity
- Kirkbride was in soap for 44 years and appeared in 1,439 episodes
- Died in hospital in Manchester and is survived by her husband David
- Actress believed to have suffered breast cancer which spread to her brain
- Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, calls her 'a loving and vibrant person'
- Liz Dawn – who played Vera Duckworth for 34 years - said 'the heart of the show has been ripped out'
Death: Coronation Street's Anne Kirkbride (pictured last year) was known for playing Deirdre Barlow
Coronation Street actress Anne Kirkbride - one of the nation's best-loved and longest-serving soap stars - died yesterday at the age of 60.
The actress, who played Deirdre Barlow in the show for 43 years, is believed to have suffered breast cancer which spread to her brain.
Fellow actors lined up to pay tribute to the 'loving and vibrant' actress who appeared in 1,439 episodes of the soap.
Veteran Liz Dawn – who played Vera Duckworth in the soap for 34 years - said 'the heart of the show has been ripped out.'
On-screen husband Bill Roache, who worked with her for 40 years as Ken Barlow, said she was 'an impeccable performer with superb comedy timing'.
And thousands of fans flocked to social media to mourn her loss. One moving post read: 'Hard to imagine Coronation Street without Anne Kirkbride' while others admitted they had 'grown up with Deirdre'.
It was revealed in September that Miss Kirkbride was to take an extended break from the soap.
The star was expected to be absent for three months and was due to make a return this month.
Yet in recent days there was speculation that she was considering quitting the role that had made her famous.
Miss Kirkbride, who was born in Oldham, fought a battle with cancer in 1993, when she was forced to temporarily leave the soap after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She returned just a year later.
In 2001 she said: 'I just wanted to die because you just don't want to go on living feeling like that. But you're frightened that if you die you might still feel like that on the other side. There's no escape.'
A source told The Sun last night that Miss Kirkbride had suffered the disease again – developing breast cancer which later spread to her brain.
But an ITV spokesman said the actress's family would not be commenting on her cause of death.
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Spot the difference: Anne Kirkbride unveiled the new wax figure of her on-screen character Deirdre Barlow at Madame Tussauds in Blackpool in July 2011
On-screen couple: Coronation Street actors William Roache, who played Ken Barlow, with Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre Barlow, in February 2010. Roache said she was 'such a loving and vibrant person'
Royal visit: The Duchess of Cornwall meets actors Beverley Callard (left), Anne Kirkbride (second right) and Ryan Thomas (right), at the Rovers Return during a trip to the set of Coronation Street in Manchester in 2010
Sad news: William Roache (left), who played Anne Kirkbride's (right) on screen husband Ken Barlow, said: 'I feel Anne's loss so personally having worked closely with her for over 40 years'. They are pictured in 2005
Coronation Street actors: William Roache (left), who played Ken Barlow and Johnny Briggs (right), who played Mike Baldwin, with Anne Kirkbride (centre), who played Deirdre Barlow, pictured together in May 1983
William Roache, who played her on-screen husband Ken Barlow, said of her death: 'I feel Anne's loss so personally having worked closely with her for over 40 years.
'She was such a loving and vibrant person. You always knew she was there because her laugh was never far away. She was an impeccable performer with superb comedy timing and an immense gift for really heightened drama.
'We had some rows over the years as Ken and Deirdre and it was wonderful to play those scenes opposite her. Coronation Street has lost one of its iconic characters and Anne will be greatly missed.'
Fellow Coronation Street veteran Liz Dawn, 75, told the Mirror: 'It's like the heart of the show has been ripped out because she was so well loved by the cast and crew and by the millions of viewers who watched it.
'She was so lovely and I feel so sad. I'm so shocked because she had previously beaten illness and she showed such courage and spirit.
'I didn't realise she was ill, it was such a shock to hear that another illness has come and taken her away at such a young age.'
Executive producer Kieran Roberts added: 'There are no words to describe the sense of grief we feel at Anne's passing.
Real life: Anne Kirkbride (right) is pictured on her wedding day in June 1992, marrying David Beckett (left)
Anne Kirkbride was famous for her large spectacles and her husky voice – a result of her own chain smoking. She is pictured in 1973 (left) and behind bars after being jailed for fraud in the soap in the 1990s (right)
Beauty: Anne Kirkbride as Deirdre in 1973, shortly after she began playing the soap icon
'We know only too acutely how much Anne meant to the millions of people who watched her create the legendary character of Deirdre Barlow.
She was such a loving and vibrant person. You always knew she was there because her laugh was never far away
William Roache, Ken Barlow
'She will be greatly missed by the Coronation Street team who share happy memories of working with her.'
Coronation Street's creator Tony Warren said: 'Anne was very easy to love.'
Les Dennis, who plays Michael Rodwell in the Street tweeted: 'So very sad to hear our lovely Anne Kirkbride has died. One of the true icons of @itvcorrie. We will all miss you. The nation's favourite.'
Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully, wrote: 'Thank you everyone. As you can imagine, we're all in complete shock. She was our friend as well as our colleague and we'll miss her so much.'
Corrie wedding: Deirdre Hunt (Anne Kirkbride) weds Ray Langton (Neville Buswell) in 1975
I do... again! Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) marries William Roache (Ken Barlow) on screen in 1981
Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) asks Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) for help in her role as a councillor in 1987
Toyboy: Anne Kirkbride as Deirdre Barlow with Al Nedjari as Samir Rachid on Coronation Street in 1994
Michelle Keegan, who played Tina McIntyre in the series until last year, wrote: 'Devastating news. Love you Annie. The nation is now in mourning...xxx'.
Miss Kirkbride's career on screen began in 1972 when she acted in a Jack Rosenthal play for Granada Television.
Aged just 18, her talent was noted by Street casting directors. Less than a year later, she began playing Deirdre Hunt.
The character's popularity grew and after further appearances in 1973, Miss Kirkbride signed a contract with the serial in 1974.
Miss Kirkbride was one of the first generations of actors to feature on the show which was launched in 1960.
We know only too acutely how much Anne meant to the millions of people who watched her create the legendary character of Deirdre Barlow
Kieran Roberts, executive producer
She met her husband David Beckett on the set. He played Deirdre's on-screen handyman boyfriend and the romance soon blossomed off screen.
Her relationships on the street told a very different story. Viewers saw her go through four marriages – to Ray Langton in 1975, Ken Barlow in 1981 and Samir Rachid in 1994 before finally remarrying Barlow in 2005.
Over the years, her character attained a cult following. In 1998, Deirdre received the support of then Prime Minister Tony Blair after her character was jailed for mortgage and credit card fraud while her conman lover Jon Lindsay walked free.
Dubbed the Weatherfield One, Mr Blair, with a touch of irony, attempted to intervene on Deidre's behalf.
In real life she was married just once and the couple did not have children. She once said she never had that 'overwhelming need that some women seem to have'.
Last year, Miss Kirkbride showed solidarity for co-star Mr Roache when he was tried for rape. When he was cleared, she wept with relief.
Previously, Miss Kirkbride said that her This Is Your Life appearance in 1998 came in the midst of her depression, when she was under the influence of addictive prescription drug Valium.
She revealed: 'I just didn't know if I was ever going to be better. I just couldn't see a way out of it. I just couldn't believe there could be a cure for what was broken in my head.'
Acting: Neville Buswell, who played Ray Langton, and Anne Kirkbride pictured together in the early 1970s
Actors and actresses: Pictured are (left-right front) Anne Kirkbride, Doris Speed and Bill Roache, with (left - right back) Ken Farrington and Alan Rothwell on the set of Coronation Street in this undated photograph
Four decades ago: A photograph from December 1974 of Coronation Street stars during a Christmas Party sequence at the Rovers Return, including actress Anne Kirkbride (third left back)
Three-decade period: Coronation Street actress Anne Kirkbride in 1983 (left) and more recently in 2014 (right
A statement on the ITV website last night said her husband David Beckett and the programme's cast and crew were 'heartbroken and deeply saddened'.
Executive producer Kieran Roberts said: 'There are no words to describe the sense of grief we feel at Anne's passing.
'We know only too acutely how much Anne meant to the millions of people who watched her create the legendary character of Deirdre Barlow.
'She will be greatly missed by the Coronation Street team who share happy memories of working with her. We feel blessed and honoured to have known her. Our thoughts are with David and their family.'
ITV director of television Peter Fincham said Kirkbride had 'created a unique and unforgettable character' and said she had been 'a truly loyal servant to Coronation Street since joining the programme in the early 1970s'.
Coronation Street's creator Tony Warren said: 'Anne was very easy to love. Her talent over the years made a massive contribution to Coronation Street.'
Miss Kirkbride, pictured in 2012, was previously diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1993
Kate Ford, who plays Deirdre's daughter Tracy Barlow in Coronation Street, said she was 'heartbroken'.
The actress tweeted: 'Heartbroken at the loss of my friend and beautiful on screen mummy. The most crazy funny 100 per cent human. My life was enriched by her.'
Other Coronation Street stars who have paid tribute to Kirkbride, whose character was known for her large spectacles, include fellow Corrie veteran Beverley Callard.
Known for playing Rovers Return barmaid Liz McDonald, Callard tweeted: 'My beautiful darling friend, Anne Kirkbride, passed away in a room filled with love. God Bless, my Darling Girl! Peace and rest!'
Ian Puleston-Davies, who plays Owen Armstrong in the soap, said he felt 'numb' on hearing the news of her death.
He told Phil Williams on BBC's 5 Live: 'She was such a colourful character on and off set - very different but very alike in so many ways.
'To meet her in person she shone brighter than even Deirdre did.'
He recalled his first days on the show, saying the veteran actress had spotted he was nervous and thrown her arms around him with the reassuring words: 'It's alright kid, we'll look after you.'
Mr Puleston-Davies added: 'It could've been a scene in the Rovers, she oozed Coronation Street.'
Ken Farrington, who played Billy Walker - Deirdre's first fiance in the soap - recalled her theatre performances in Manchester.
He said: 'She had an incredible variety of abilities and I kept trying to persuade her to, I shouldn't say this, but to leave the Street because I thought she could go on and do really big things like Sarah Lancashire and Anne Reid (two former Coronation Street actresses).'
He said Kirkbride had become 'quite angry' at the suggestion and said she was happy where she was.
'She was a bloody good performer,' he added.
Liz McDonald: Corrie veteran Beverley Callard tweeted a tribute to her 'beautiful darling friend Anne'
Tracy Barlow: Kate Ford, who plays Deirdre's daughter in Coronation Street, said she was 'heartbroken'
Michael Rodwell: Les Dennis, who joined the soap last year, said she was 'one of the true icons of Corrie'
Tina McIntyre: Michelle Keegan, who was in the series until last year, wrote: 'The nation is now in mourning'
Maria Connor: Samia Ghadie, who has been in the soap since 2000, was among many stars to pay tribute to Anne Kirkbride
Vikram Desai: Chris Bisson, who is now in Emmerdale but had a stint in Corrie said she was a 'wonderful person'
FROM DEIRDRE HUNT TO A CAMPAIGN WITH TONY BLAIR: HOW ANNE KIRKBRIDE'S DEIRDRE BECAME ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED TV STARS
In perhaps her most famous storyline, Deirdre was sent to prison in 1
Off-screen, Anne Kirkbride lived a happy life. But, during her 43-year stay on Corrie, her on-screen character Deirdre Barlow went through rather more than her fair share of ups and downs.
Deirdre Hunt first appeared on the soap in 1972, when she attended a party at The Rovers. She later applied for a part-time job at the pub and became a permanent character.
The next year, Deirdre became engaged to landlord Billy Walker, who was 20 years her senior. That engagement sparked a rollercoaster love life for Deirdre's character, which involved her being married four times and having 13 lovers.
Her first marriage, in 1975, was to Ray Langton. But, after their relationship broke down, Deirdre began dating Ken Barlow, played by William Roache. In 1981, more than 24 million viewers watched Deirdre and Ken tie the knot. The ceremony generated higher ratings for ITV than the wedding of Prince of Wales to Princess Diana.
But the happy marriage was the start of a tumultuous love triangle between Ken, Deirdre and Mike Baldwin.
Deirdre had only been married to Ken for a year before she had an affair with Mike, who was played Johnny Briggs. The feud between the two men went on for more than 20 years and constantly divided viewers' opinions as to whether Deirdre should stay with Ken, or Mike.
In 1993, Anne's character left the soap after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She returned to the show within a year.
Deirdre's third marriage was to young waiter Samir Rachid in 1994. But the following year, Samir was attacked on the way to hospital, as he prepared to donate a kidney to Deirdre's daughter Tracy. Deirdre switched off his life-support machine.
In perhaps her most famous storyline, Deirdre was sent to prison in 1998 after her conman lover Jon Lindsay committed fraud in her name.
She received the support of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair who intervened - with a touch of irony - after she was jailed for mortgage and credit card fraud, despite Jon walking free.
Granada had always planned for Deirdre to be freed after a matter of weeks, but allowed the public to think their outcry had caused the decision.
In 2005, Deirdre and Ken got engaged again. Their second marriage was supposed to coincide with the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, just as their first marriage coincided with Charles and Diana's.
But due to Prince Charles going to the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the wedding was changed by one day. In the end, nearly 12 million people watch the television event, compared to nine million who watched the royal wedding.
More recently, Anne's character was at the centre of a high-profile drama which involved her son Peter Barlow being wrongly jailed for the murder of Tina McIntyre.
Deirdre left Coronation Street in October last year losing her temper during a family meal and launching a trifle at a wall.
The scene came amid the stresses and strains of Peter's upcoming murder trial and leads to Ken suggesting that Deirdre gets out of Weatherfield to pay a visit to her friend Bev.
Her exit meant she not only missed Peter Barlow's being cleared for the murder, but also her on-screen daughter's wedding to Rob Donovan, which ended in Rob fleeing when it emerged he was Tina's killer.
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Will any actress make us care so much for a soap character again?
For tens of millions of viewers at the height of Coronation Street's success, Anne Kirkbride was a face as familiar as our next-door neighbour's.
The actress, who has died aged 60, was synonymous with her character – the dogged, passionate Deirdre Barlow, a role she had played for 43 years.
With her oversized spectacles and her gravelly voice, which was in part due to her fondness for cigarettes, she was a national icon.
Fans loved Deirdre for her plain-speaking but also her romantic nature: she married four times for love, had a wild affair that caused an unprecedented scandal, and went to prison for mortgage and credit card fraud after she was betrayed by her conman lover.
More than any other character on the show, Deirdre seemed real – so real that when she was jailed in 1998, a campaign swept the country to have her released, under the slogan, 'Free The Weatherfield One'.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, never one to ignore a bandwagon, called for Home Secretary Jack Straw to investigate the miscarriage of justice. Tory leader William Hague retorted: 'The nation is deeply concerned about Deirdre – Conservatives as much as anyone else.'
If it had been any other character in soapland, these protestations would have seemed ludicrous. But thanks to Kirkbride's honest and committed performance, we truly believed in Deirdre.
Her appeal was rooted in a storyline that changed the way we watch television. By 1980, after eight years on the show, Deirdre had been married once and engaged again, and she was also having an on-off affair with the Street's bad lad, factory boss Mike Baldwin (played by Johnny Briggs).
But she had a young daughter and she wanted to settle down – so she set her sights on the Street's ageing political activist, Ken Barlow. Britain was divided.
Ken (William Roache) was regarded as a colossal bore, and many people believed he could never make Deirdre happy. Millions of others just wanted to see her out of the clutches of that nasty bit of work, Mike.
It is hard to imagine today, but their marriage felt as significant as a Royal wedding – and that is no exaggeration.
An estimated 24million people watched as Ken and Deirdre tied the knot on July 27, 1981, and the running joke on the show was that all the bunting around their home town of Weatherfield was in honour of their nuptials.
Fans loved Deirdre for her plain-speaking but also her romantic nature
Of course, the plastic Union Jacks were really fluttering to celebrate another wedding two days later, between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
The obsession with Deirdre's love life hit the front pages again when she rekindled her love affair with Mike. In an era long before Twitter, their on-screen kiss was all anyone could talk about in shops and offices across Britain the next day.
Agony aunt Claire Rayner warned Deirdre: 'You won't solve your boring marriage in someone else's bed.'
When Deirdre confessed to Ken, actor Roache reacted with an unscripted move, grabbing Kirkbride around the throat. It was a turning point in how television portrayed domestic violence, and Ken lost the sympathy of millions. But the episode ended as Deirdre slammed the door in Mike's face.
At Old Trafford, where Manchester United were playing a league cup semi-final against Arsenal, the scoreboard flashed up the news at half-time: 'Ken and Deirdre United Again! Ken 1, Mike 0.'
The crowd burst into applause. Will any actress ever make us care so much about a soap character again?
TWO MARRIAGES TO KEN, AN AFFAIR WITH MIKE AND THE TRAGIC DEATH OF SAMIR: THE LIFE AND LOVES OF DEIRDRE BARLOW
Anne Kirkbride made her first appearance in Coronation Street in 1972 when she was 18 as an extra and was given a full-time role two years later.
And while she went on to meet her beloved husband David Beckett on the show, there was an obstacle to overcome first as he was already in a relationship.
She told the Sunday Mirror: 'When David and I met there was an instant attraction, but I didn't want to get involved with him.'
Beckett briefly appeared on the enduring soap as Deidre's handyman boyfriend, Dave Barton, and after six months of fighting her feelings for the actor she soon realised it was inevitable that they would fall for each other behind the camera.
She added: 'I never like talking about it because I'm conscious of his ex. It wasn't nice for her, but she was absolutely brilliant when it all happened and I still feel bad about it.'
Love on-screen and off: Anne met her husband David Beckett when he played her boyfriend on Corrie
While Anne went on to happiness, things weren't so simple for Deirdre Hunt, who first set her sights on Billy Walker, a man nearly 20 years her senior but he called off their planned wedding and left to run a wine bar in Jersey.
Viewers saw her go through four marriages, the first to Ray Langton in 1975, with whom she had her daughter Tracey.
They split in 1978 after Deirdre couldn't forgive Ray for his affair with a waitress.
First of four: Deirdre Hunt married her first husband, Ray Langton, in 1975 and they had one daughter together
She moved on to Mike Baldwin before attempting to reconcile with Billy Walker (her ex-fiancé), but it wasn't long before she set her sights on Ken Barlow and they married in 1981.
However, love didn't last and an affair with Baldwin in 1982 was a ratings winner, running in to 1983.
The feud between the two men went on for more than 20 years and constantly divided viewers' opinions as to whether Deirdre should stay with Ken, or Mike.
While they reconciled, Ken's affair led to a divorce in 1990 and after Anne took a break from the soap to recover from her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, her character met toyboy Samir Rachid and wed him in 1994.
Second and last love: Deirdre married Ken Barlow in 1981 and again in 2005
Affair: Deirdre's affair with Mike Baldwin gripped audiences in 1982 and into the following year
However, she was tragically widowed when Samir was attacked the day before he was due to donate a kidney to Tracy, who had suffered kidney failure after a drug overdose.
A relationship with 'airline pilot' Jon Lindsay followed, but he was exposed as a liar by Ken, leading to the biggest storyline of Anne's career.
He framed her for fraud and Deirdre was given a prison sentence of 18 months while Jon walks free.
The British public started a campaign, to 'free the Weatherfield One' and Prime Minister Tony Blair even got involved.
And a reunion for Ken and Deirdre followed in 1999.
In 2001 she had a fling with her boss Dev Alahan before remarrying Ken in 2005.
Amazingly while their first wedding coincided with Prince Charles' first to Princess Diana, their second was at the same time as his wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Despite Ken's fling in 2008 with theatre actress Martha, and numerous ups and downs, the couple remained married.
Tragic: Her toyboy Samir Rachid died after being attacked and left Deirdre devastated
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2917307/Coronation-Street-s-Anne-Kirkbride-dead-60-short-illness.html#ixzz3PLk14wCa
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