The stars of Coronation Street will bid farewell to Anne Kirkbride's character Deirdre Barlow in an on-screen tribute. The ITV soap's executive producer confirmed that Deirdre, who was played by Anne for 42 years until her death at the age of 60, will be remembered in the show later this year. "She was a wonderful woman, and a wonderful actress," said Kieran Roberts. "We all miss her terribly.
Fans will get the chance to bid farewell to Anne's character Deirdre Barlow
"At the moment, we're respecting her memory. We're talking to her family and respecting the family's wishes, but what I can tell fans of the show is that we will be saying farewell to the character on screen later this year." The producer added that while "the exact plans are not yet finalised" the Corrie cast "will be able to say a farewell to Deirdre." The news comes two days after it was revealed that Anne's name will remain on her old dressing room door as a permanent tribute to the star. Her dressing room is now being used by her very close friend and co-star Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald. Brooke Vincent – Sophie Webster on the show – told the Sun, "Anne is still there, she is still around us. Every time we pass her dressing room we see her name and it has been decided that her name will stay there."
Anne with the Duchess of Cornwall during her visit to the Coronation Street set
The actress also spoke about the soap's "fitting tribute" to Anne as she hit the red carpet at the TRIC (Television and Radio Industries Club) Awards on Tuesday. "She was massive to us and to everybody else," Brooke told BBC's Newsbeat. "We were lucky enough to know Annie. A lot of people had the pleasure of watching her be Deirdre. "Everyday, without fail, if you saw her, she'd say, 'I love you.' That was it, that's all she used to say to people – 'I love you, I love you.' She was always the one who kind of lit up a room." Anne passed away on 19 January following a brief battle with cancer, and was laid to rest in a small, private ceremony a week later