Anne Kirkbride dead: Actress who played Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street dies following short illness — independent.co.uk

She passed away peacefully in a Manchester hospital following a short illness, her husband confirmed tonight. Kirkbride first appeared in the long-running ITV soap in 1972, and played her much-loved character for 43 years. In September, she announced she was taking a three month break from the show, and was expected to return to Coronation Street this month, the Mirror reported. A statement on the ITV website said her husband David Beckett and the programme's cast and crew are "heartbroken and deeply saddened".

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