1. Anne Kirkbride was an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in the ITV soap Coronation Street, which she played for 42 years from 1972 to 2014.
12 Facts About Anne Kirkbride
1. 2.
Anne Kirkbride was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the daughter of Jack Kirkbride, a cartoonist for the Oldham Evening Chronicle.
3.
Anne Kirkbride played the bit part of Deirdre Hunt in Coronation Street from November 1972.
4.
The character's role grew and after further appearances in 1973, Anne Kirkbride signed a contract with the serial in 1974.
5.
Anne Kirkbride was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1998, when she was surprised by Michael Aspel on the set of Coronation Street.
6.
In 2007, Anne Kirkbride starred in the first episode of You Don't Know You're Born, a genealogy documentary on ITV1.
7.
Anne Kirkbride married former actor David Beckett on 24 June 1992 at Holy Trinity Church, Dobcross.
8.
Anne Kirkbride spoke to the British press about her bout of depression following the diagnosis.
9.
Anne Kirkbride was cured within a year of being diagnosed.
10.
Anne Kirkbride died at a Manchester hospital on 19 January 2015, aged 60, of breast cancer, which had metastasised to her brain.
11.
Anne Kirkbride's funeral was held on 27 January 2015 in a private ceremony.
12.
The actor Adam Woodyatt dedicated the Best British Soap award EastEnders won to Anne Kirkbride, referring to her as "the Weatherfield One", referencing the Coronation Street storyline which saw Deirdre wrongly imprisoned for fraud.