Anne Kirkbride

Anne Kirkbride (born June 21, 1954) is a British soap opera actress. She was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

She was noticed by casting directors for the British soap opera Coronation Street while she did an ITV special series called Another Sunday and Sweet FA. She was offered to play the bit part of Deirdre Hunt in November 1972. After a few appearances, the character's popularity grew. After more appearances in 1973, Kirkbride signed a contract with the serial in 1974. Since then, Deirdre has become synonymous with a scratchy voice (caused by real-life chain-smoking) and very big eyeglasses.

In 1993, Kirkbride was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Since then, she has come clean to the British press about her bout with depression following the diagnosis. Today, she is now cancer-free.

Deirdre's story

Deirdre's boyfriends have included the characters Billy Walker, Mike Baldwin and Dave Barton (the actor who played the latter is now Anne's partner). She also went through a messy divorce when her first husband, Ray Langton, decided to leave the country without her in 1978.

In 1981, Deirdre's wedding to William Roache's character, Ken Barlow, received higher ratings than the wedding of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to The Lady Diana Spencer. Since then she and Ken have divorced and got back together again. In the interim, however, Deirdre had become a widow; her husband, Samir Rachid, was killed by thugs on the day before he was to give his kidney to her daughter, Tracy.

The most controversial storyline Kirkbride had to play was when her character was sent to prison in 1998 for a crime she did not commit. The British public started a big grassroots campaign, pleading Granada Television to "free the Weatherfield One". The Home Secretary even involved Prime Minister Tony Blair, who, with only a touch of irony, attempted to intervene on Deirdre's behalf.