Coronation Street is known for being a drama-filled soap opera, with the beloved programme often winning awards for its hard-hitting storylines.
But away from the cobbles, some of the famous actors and actresses from the soap have experienced equally tragic moments in their lives.
From cancer scares to heartbreaking diagnoses, sudden deaths and family members passing away unexpectedly – the stars who appear on our screens each night have their own hard-hitting experiences.
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From Sally Dynevor’s family loss and cancer diagnosis, to the sudden death of a rising soap star, the Manchester-based soap and the people behind it have had tragedy off-screen as well as on.
Young sudden death
(Image: Twitter)
In February 2022 it was announced that Joseph Wandera died at the age of 27.
The young actor appeared in the soap back in 2018, when he played the role of a buyer interested in purchasing Eileen Grimshaw’s car that she was selling at the time.
Only 27 at the time of his tragic passing, Joseph died in January after suffering a fatal seizure.
Joseph was on holiday in Costa Rica and staying with friends after attending a party, according to police coroner Kathy Dixon.
(Image: ITV)
Kathy told the inquest: “Whilst at a party, Joseph rang his girlfriend and explained that he did not feel well.
“He contacted a friend who picked him up and took him back to their apartment.”
She added: “Joseph went to sleep on the sofa. A few hours later, the friend found Joseph on the sofa having a seizure.
“Medics were called but they were unable to revive him and he sadly passed away.”
Family loss
(Image: PA)
Sally Dynevor, who plays the role of Sally Metcalfe on the cobbles, announced on January 15 that her family had suffered a loss.
Just a few weeks ago Sally took to Twitter to pay tribute to her mother-in-law who had sadly passed away.
Sally’s mother-in-law, Shirley Dynevor, was 90 years of age and a fellow famous actress, who starred in Rogue Male and Crown Court.
Sharing two snaps of her mother-in-law on Instagram, Sally simply wrote: “Shirley,” alongside a string of red heart emojis.
Sally’s husband Tim also took to social media to share the news of his mother’s passing, with him sharing a photo of his beloved mum, he wrote: “Mum – May 15, 1933 – January 10, 2023.”
90-year-old Shirley was born in 1933 in Cardiff, Wales, and shot to fame in the 1950s.
In the late 50s Shirley’s popularity grew when she starred in the beloved TV series Charlesworth.
Cancer battles
(Image: ITV)
Sally Dynevor also had another tragedy in her life, and this happened in 2009 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time that her on-screen character was.
The actress went on to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy with Sally returning to the soap in July 2010 after a six-month break, and both she and her on-screen character went on to make full recoveries.
As well as Sally, Victoria Ekanoye who played the role of Angie Appleton, was also diagnosed with cancer.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
Victoria was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, which is when cancer cells develop within the milk ducts in the breast, after finding a lump while breastfeeding.
She was diagnosed just months after giving birth to her first child Théo with her partner Jonny Lomas, with the starlet announcing her diagnosis in November 2021.
She went on to have a double mastectomy before having reconstruction surgery.
Speaking to the MailOnline last year, Victoria revealed that she was the fifth person in her family to get breast cancer.
“I’m the fifth person now in my family over three generations to have breast cancer,” she said.
Dementia death
(Image: ITV)
The Johnny Connor actor Richard Hawley sadly lost his father Peter, who was in his early seventies, when he began to develop dementia.
“He was an amazing man,” Richard told The Mirror at the time.
“Although he was a lawyer and very passionate about the law, he was very creative and artistic. He painted a lot and was also a beautiful pianist. He was immensely talented.”
He recalled to the paper at the time, how he would wake up in the morning to the sound of his father playing the piano when he was young.
Speaking to the paper, he explained how when his father’s Alzheimer’s started to show, “he began to include lots of black squares in his paintings”.
Adding: “At the time we didn’t know why, but later we wondered if that was a sign of the disease.”
He then spoke of a “distressing” time when his dad would “paint over” some of his paintings, adding: “it felt like the turmoil in his mind was pouring out”.
Heartbreaking death of partner
(Image: Getty Images)
In January 2021 Dame Maureen Lipman announced that her partner of 13 years had died after a battle with coronavirus.
Her partner, businessman Guido Castro, was 84 when he passed away shortly after contracting the virus and having his health “weakened” by it.
Maureen, who plays Corrie’s Evelyn Plummer, was with her partner – who she had dated since 2008 – when he passed away.
Speaking to Daily Mail at the time, Maureen said: “My heart is cracking.”
“He got COVID – it wasn’t COVID that killed him but it weakened him terribly,” she went on.
Her partner, who had a form of Parkinson’s Disease, tested positive for the virus days after receiving his first dose of the vaccine.
“We don’t know how he got it or when or if he had it when he got the vaccine,” she added.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
