Photos from the life and career of Coronation Street star Anne Kirkbridge
In celebration of the life of Anne Kirkbride, we look back at 40 years of Deirdre Barlow magic. Here she is marrying Ken in 1981.
Anne joined Corrie in 1972. Here she is, soaking up the sun with the girls in Majorca in 1974
With ex fiance Billy Walker in 1974
With the late, great Maggie Jones as her mum, Blanche Hunt, in 1974
In 1977 with then-husband Ray Langton and their baby Tracy
During the 1979 Rovers lorry crash, Deirdre had left baby Tracy outside. She was rescued from beneath the rubble
On the cover of TV Times in 1983 and 1998
Deirdre began a steamy affair with Mike Baldwin in 1982…
Ken discovered Mike and Deirdre's affair in 1983 and it became the first soap storyline to be covered on the front pages of British newspapers
One of Deirdre's happiest days - when daughter Tracy (played then by Dawn Acton) married carpet fitter Robert in 1996
Who can forget the plight of the Weatherfield One, in one of the Street's most iconic storylines. Even Prime Minister Tony Blair got involved
Blanche returned to the Street and the mother and daughter had some hilarious exchanges over the years
She remarried Ken in 2005
Celebrating Liz McDonald's hen do in style in 2007
Anne met the Duchess of Cornwall on set in the Rovers during the 50th anniversary celebrations in 2010
Classic! Longtime Street rival Gail threw a pie in Deirdre's face in 2010
Only last year, Deirdre and Ken proved their on-screen partnership was as watchable as ever, with a slapstick caravan holiday in north Wales
Anne Kirkbride... The Nation's Favourite... 1954-2015
