Coronation Street bosses are sending barmaid Liz McDonald to Spain temporarily while actress Beverley Callard battles depression. Liz's lover Tony Stewart will die onscreen later this month, and she'll flee to warmer climes as she attempts to escape his angry family.But the storyline has come at the perfect time for Beverley, 59, who was reportedly signed off for two weeks at the beginning of April due to her struggles with the condition. Because of this, she was not present when Tony's funeral scenes were filmed.
Beverley Callard's character Liz schemed against cheating lover Tony
An insider told The Sun: "We began filming Tony's funeral scenes last week and are continuing this week. As Bev has been off for two weeks, she hasn't been able to be a part of it, which is a real shame as she was going to be heavily involved. "Whole scenes have been reworked. These include one scene in which Jason Grimshaw, played by Ryan Thomas, was to have a fight with Liz. But that has been scrapped."
Beverley opened up about her depression last month
Viewers of the ITV soap will know scorned Liz was furious after discovering Tony's affair with Tracy Barlow, portrayed by Kate Ford. Although Liz pretended to forgive Tony, it was all part of her plan to have the Rovers Return pub put back in her name.
Tony will die from a heart attack in the coming weeks, and his furious loved ones will point the finger at Liz.
Of Beverley's temporary exit, the source added: "There are obviously no hard feelings towards Bev, who is loved on set. Everyone just wants to see her back healthy as soon as possible. "Beverley previously took to Twitter to make her battle with depression public and reveal her upset over one of her regular tablets being discontinued.
She wrote: "Been battling the demons of depression! One of the meds I'm on has been stopped by a pharmaceutical company, apparently, it doesn't make money."