Thursday, January 22, 2015

'Coronation Street' Star Anne Kirkbride Dead at 60

William Roache spoke about co-star Anne Kirkbride at Wednesday night’s National Television Awards.
Longtime Coronation Street star Anne Kirkbride has died. She was 60.

"There are no words to describe the sense of grief we feel at Anne's passing," executive producer Kieran Roberts said in the post. "We know only too acutely how much Anne meant to the millions of people who watched her create the legendary character of Deirdre Barlow."

Kirkbride first showed up on Coronation Street, the world's longest-running active television soap opera, in 1972 as Deirdre Barlow, a teenager with a handful of lines. Within a few years, she had entered into a short-lived marriage with one character and then a romance and marriage with another, Ken Barlow (William Roache, who'd been on the show since its inception in 1960).

Deidre and Ken were so popular, at one point, the scoreboard at a Manchester United game informed a stadium full of fans that "Deirdre and Ken united again!"

Kirkbride started in the theater and was first noticed in a 1972 filmed play called "Another Sunday and Sweet F.A."

Kirkbride was a survivor of non-Hodgkin lymphoma -- she lost her hair and acted in a wig for a time -- and talked about her depression in a 2012 documentary, Deirdre & Me: 40 Years on Coronation Street. She was also an accomplished painter.

She is survived by her husband, actor David Beckett.

Coronation Street stars led the tributes to their late colleague Anne Kirkbride at Wednesday night’s National Television Awards, though the ITV soap ended the night empty-handed.

Kirkbride’s screen husband William Roache - who worked alongside her for 40 years - declared “I love you Anne” after speaking warmly of his “vibrant, warm-hearted, loving” colleague in a speech that left many in tears.

1 comment:

  1. Both Anne and Deidre are irreplaceable and will be greatly missed! Corrie is gonna be a little less fun with her passing. R I P Miss Kirkbride! :-(

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