Coronation Street actor Bill Roache has written about his grief for co-star Anne Kirkbride three years after her death in his new book
Coronation Street legend Bill Roache has opened up about his deep feelings of loss at the death of his on-screen wife Anne Kirkbride, who passed away in 2015 after a battle with breast cancer.
Bill, who is the longest-serving cast member of the soap and appeared in its first ever episode, has written about his feelings for Anne in his new book, Life and Soul.
The 86-year-old revealed in his book that he "felt married" to Anne in real life, and also opened up about the last time he saw her when she was in hospital on the day that she died.
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CLOSER: Coronation Street spoilers 18 - 22 June
1 of 20Baby bombshell detonated
Hold onto your hats, it's the week after the baby bombshell exploded in Coronation Street. Toyah Battersby and Eva Price are about to face the music.
2 of 20Carla breaks the news
Carla Connor breaks the news about Eva's baby with Aidan Connor to the rest of the family. That was never going to go down well really, was it?
3 of 20All hope lost?
Mischievous Hope Stape continues to stir the pot for mum Fiz Brown and Tyrone Hobbs. She tells Tyrone that Fiz has got a date.
4 of 20Craig has the hots
Craig Tinker reveals to Bethany Platt that he's got the hots for newcomer Kayla Westbrook.
5 of 20Johnny wants answers
Johnny Connor storms into the Rovers demanding an explanation from Eva.
6 of 20Johnny fights for baby Susie
Heartbroken, he says he will fight for the custody of his granddaughter.
7 of 20Date night
Slightly jealous, Bethany helps Craig to set up a date with Kayla. Twit-twooo.
8 of 20Poor Ty
Upset to hear that Fiz has moved on, Tyrone decides to take Abi Franklin on a date. Things go from bad to worse for poor Ty, as he learns from Seb Franklin that Abi is only using him in an attempt to win back her twins from social services.
9 of 20Johnny wants custody
Jenny Bradley is concerned when Johnny tells her he's applying for a Child Arrangement Order. He gives her an ultimatum: support his decision or get packing. What will she choose?
10 of 20Kayla plays Chinese whispers
Kayla is immediately threatened by Craig and Bethany's close friendship. She causes trouble for them by telling Craig that she overheard Bethany say that he won't make it as a policeman because of his OCD. Oh no, we can't bear the idea of Craig and Bethany falling out.
11 of 20Bethany gives Maria an idea
Maria Connor is stressed out in the salon, but a light bulb flicks on in her head when Bethany points out that she's practically running the place.
12 of 20Beth gets jealous
Beth Tinker is outraged to realise that Sharon Butterlee is the mysterious Mrs B, and far from the elderly lady Kirk Sutherland made her out to be.
13 of 20Eva leans on Adam
Eva turns to Adam Barlow after she finds out that Johnny is starting custody proceedings. Adam has a plan...
14 of 20Sarah teams up with Alya
When Alya Nazir wonders if she's bitten off more than she can chew at the factory, Sarah Platt is given food for thought. Handing her CV to Alya, she suggests that she would make a perfect PA.
15 of 20Maria's next steps
Audrey Roberts has decided to up Maria's rent - will this force her to put new plans into action?
16 of 20Is Kirk having an affair?
Enjoying Beth's obvious fury, Sharon compliments Kirk on the shirt she bought him. Fuming, Beth accuses a protesting Kirk of having an affair with Sharon.
17 of 20Adam has a plan
Adam suggests to Eva that they avoid a custody battle with Johnny by using a fake DNA report that states he is baby Susie's father. Will Eva agree to this plan?
18 of 20Abi gets bad news
The social worker checks in on Abi and tells her that there's still a long way to go before getting the twins back.
19 of 20Alya works Sarah
Surprise, surprise, Sarah's arrival at the factory doesn't go down too well. In the end, Alya puts the pressure on to try and please the other girls.
20 of 20Abi's blowout
Abi takes the social services visit as a big blow and quickly reverts to old habits. Oh dear.
In an extract of his new book, published by the Mirror, Bill writes that "you couldn’t help but love her," adding that he called her a "love bomb," and that he'd felt "married in a parallel life" to Annie, as he called her - even revealing that the vicar who'd married them in the show was a minister in real life too.
Their wedding in 1981 was even watched by more people than Prince Charles and Diana's wedding, which took place two days after.
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Although Bill had been able to say goodbye to Anne on her final day, he didn't properly feel her loss until a few weeks after she'd passed away, writing, that when they'd returned to the Barlows' living room, "a wave of emotion really hit me."
He continued, "In that room were all the photos, all the memories – all the laughter and tears of the 35 years we’d been together. The cast and crew still feel her presence today. She is greatly missed."
Bill also wrote about the loss of his beloved wife Sara, who passed away six years before Anne, saying, "Of course, I grieved for Sara and Annie. But I tried not to grieve for too long. I just send them love. I know they’re in a beautiful, happy place, free of pain."
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