Corrie legend Bill Roache has signed a new contract believed be worth £250,000 which will keep him in the soap for at least another year.
Bill, 90, started on the cobbles when Coronation Street was launched by ITV back in 1960, and holds the record for being the longest-serving TV star still cast in an ongoing drama.
He is believed to have been paid £70 a week back then – but has now sealed a bumper pay deal to keep his character Ken Barlow in Weatherfield.
READ MORE: Coronation Street legend Bill Roache, 90, reveals his secret to a long and happy life
Lothario Ken is currently embroiled in a love triangle with the two women in his love life -Wendy Crozier, played by Roberta Kerr, 70, and Martha Fraser, played by 75-year-old Stephanie Beacham.
But there is more to come from the cobbles veteran, with a Corrie source saying: “Ken Barlow has been at the heart of Coronation Street since it started 62 years ago and that’s not changing any time soon.
“And as we’ve seen with his recent love triangle storyline, he’s no plans to slow down,” adding: “Bosses have big plans for his character next year.”
The actor last week (Wednesday) received his OBE for services for acting from King Charles III at Windsor Castle last week, revealing the hilarious reaction from the monarch.
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The King, who is 74, playfully asked: “Not still working are you?” Bill explained: “I said, ‘Yes, just had two ex-girlfriends on the show’.
“He said, ‘Oh that must have been work’, and I said, ‘May I wish you a long and joyful reign, sir?’. And he said, ‘Thank you, that will be a lot of work, too’.”
After meeting the monarch to receive his honour, which adds to his MBE, Bill said: “Oh I love the royal family – I met the Queen about seven times. Charles is really, really friendly and more easy-going possibly in a sense.”
But Bill’s latest deal to stay on the street could herald more years in the role he has become famed for since the turn of the sixties – he is looking to being playing Ken at the age of 100.
He said: “That’s my aim, to be 100 and still working on Coronation Street.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
