I’ll Carry On in Big Brother... it’ll pay for my care home one day
AMANDA BARRIE ON WHY SHE’S DOING REALITY TV AT 82
Robin Hunter. They separated in the mid-1980s but were still married when he died in 2004.
Two years earlier, Amanda came out as bisexual in autobiography It’s Not a Rehearsal.
She dated actress Heather Chasen before finding love with Hilary Bonner, ex-Mirror journalist. They wed in 2014.
Asked how she will cope with Big Brother’s rules, she says: “I don’t know. I was a dancer for 17 years, dancers are told what to do every second they breathe.
“But then I did get expelled from all my schools. Everybody has begged me not to show my rebellious side. They all said, ‘Whatever happens, it’s not good at your age. Just be good’.
“I’ll try. At my age I want to be the peacemaker.” The star goes on: “I’ll be the oldest there, I can’t think of anybody else who’s daft enough to do it at my age. But then I didn’t get married again until I was 79, I’m doing everything in reverse.
“It’s like Ginger Rogers, doing everything backwards in high heels. I don’t think age matters.”
Amanda, who as Alma was fought over by Ken Barlow (William Roache) and Mike Baldwin ( Johnny Briggs) in Corrie, adds: “I’m a bit worried about the kids in the house and having to tell them, ‘It’s all right, I do have my own teeth. There’s nothing to worry about’.
“It will be the one time I’ll use my age; ‘Will you get me a drink? Could someone get me a chair?’”
But Amanda’s bucket list does not stretch to winning. Instead, she says, “I want to empty out my garage. I never want to see another one of those striped bags containing God knows what, from whatever year.
“I would like to tidy up before I die. I daren’t die because of all the mess I’ve left.”
She adds: “I never win anything. Even the year I left Coronation Street, as it came to Alma’s death, I was beaten to the prize for best exit by a Yorkshire terrier in Emmerdale.
“I don’t think Big Brother will change my fortunes but, nevertheless, let’s give it a go.”
I never win, a Yorkshire terrier beat me to the best soap exit prize AMANDA ON WINNING CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER