Five things you didn't know about Corrie star Anne Kirkbride

Actress who had played Deirdre Barlow since 1972 dies aged 60 after short battle with cancer

Anne Kirkbride
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty)

Coronation Street star Anne Kirkbride, known to millions as Deirdre Barlow, has died at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer. After joining the soap at the age of 18, Kirkbride's four-decade career on the cobbles included four on-screen marriages, an infamous affair, her trusty pair of trademark spectacles and a stint in jail after being wrongly convicted of fraud. Even the then prime minister, Tony Blair, joined those calling for her release from prison, as the British public campaigned to "Free the Weatherfield One".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up