TV favourite marks death of star with picture of two utter acting legends

Ash Percival

Published January 20, 2025 10:48am Updated January 20, 2025 1:00pm

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Former Coronation Street writer Daran Little has marked the tenth anniversary of soap legend Anne Kirkbride’s death.

The actress played bespectacled Weatherfield icon Deirdre Barlow between 1972 and 2014.

Anne died of breast cancer, which had spread to her brain, on 19 January 2015 at the age of 60.

Daran shared a touching post on Instagram to mark 10 years since Anne’s passing.

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Alongside a picture of him with Anne and her on-screen mother Blanche Hunt, played by Maggie Jones, Daran wrote: ‘Ten years since Annie left us. Will never forget her incredible sense of humour and prank calls.

‘Here we are with darling Maggie dressed up for our Tracy’s first wedding,’ added Daran, who now writes for EastEnders, among other shows.

The picture was taken in 1996 as Deirde’s daughter Tracy Barlow – then played by Dawn Acton – married Robert Preston.

Maggie, who played Blanche, died in December 2009, with her final appearance on Corrie airing posthumously later the same month.

Coronation Street's Deirdre Rachid [Anne Kirkbride] with Geena Gregory [Jennifer James] — Anne played Deirdre between 1972 and 2014 (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

When Anne died in 2015, her on-screen husband, William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, said her loss was felt ‘so personally having worked closely with her for over 40 years’.

He said: ‘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.