Corrie death was a shocker
An electrifying exit from the Street left soap fans stunned fifty years ago
CORONATION Street has seen some memorable exits over the decades, but Valerie Barlow’s departure left viewers truly shocked. Ken Barlow’s first wife perished on January 27, 1971, when she was electrocuted by a faulty hair dryer that sparked a house fire at their home as she fell and knocked over a portable heater.
Ken and their twins Peter and Susan had been about to say goodbye to Coronation Street to start a new life in Jamaica when tragedy struck.
Last Tango In Halifax star Anne Reid had played Ken’s missus for 10 years – he took her to a classical concert on their first date – before she left the ITV soap before the birth of her own son Mark.
Anne later said: “Some people thought I regretted being in Coronation Street, I didn’t, but it became tedious when the show was all anyone wanted to talk about because it was so famous.”
William Roache said he thought his time on Coronation Street might be up with the departure of Anne.
“I wondered then whether they were going to keep me on or not. I didn’t know. But that was very early on.”
The 88-year-old actor is the sole remaining member of the original cast and now holds the Guinness World Record for being the longest-serving soap star. He has appeared in more than 10,000 episodes during which there have been 57 births, 146 deaths and 131 weddings.
The loss of Valerie was only one of a long list of tragedies Ken has had to endure. His second wife left him and later killed herself, while he also lost his younger brother, his daughter Susan, and third wife Deirdre.