Sex trial accusers tried to destroy me.. but I forgive them
CORRIE KEN
Ken Barlow in Coronation Street since the very first episode in 1960 makes Bill Roache a soap living legend.
He even holds the Guinness World Record for the longestserving male television star in a continuous role.
There have been times when his own life resembled a soap storyline – most hurtfully when he was accused of historic sex abuse in 2013.
Today, in an extract from his new book Life and Soul, Bill, 86, tells how his world came close to crashing down – and how he thought he’d been found guilty after a nerve-wracking trial.
But he also explains in the book, serialised exclusively over the next three day in the Record, how, despite the damning accusations, unwavering support from his family and Corrie castmates helped him through, and says he forgives his accusers. Making my way into a beautiful compartment on an Emirates plane about to depart Dubai, I should have had nothing to worry about. I was flying first class on the final lap of my journey home from Auckland to Manchester.
But just as I was settling myself into my seat, an intense feeling suddenly swept over me: “Oh – I don’t want to go home!” I felt it so strongly and just couldn’t account for it. I loved my home – everything was good. Why should I have that feeling? It was only afterwards, of course, that I realised why. I was to be arrested three days later. Back home, the buzzer for my electric gate went at around 8am on May 1 2013. I was still jet-lagged, and though the intercom was by the bed, I didn’t hear very well what was being said. Thinking it was the postman, I pressed the ‘open’ button, got out of bed, put my dressing gown on and went downstairs to open the front door. Five policemen were walking up the drive. I let them in and then one of them said, “We’re arresting you”, and went through the charges. I heard the words as if they were being spoken in the distance.
As the policeman was speaking, the colour seemed to drain from everything and there was a sort of mist around us.
Then they told me two policemen were going to search the house and stay there, two were going to drive me to a police station and one was going stay with me while I got dressed, which he did.
They took the computers and went through everything in the house. Then they drove me to a police station in Leyland, Lancashire, about 40 miles from my home.
When I got to the police station, I was still convinced that there was nothing seriously wrong. I thought that once I’d answered their questions, I’d go home and that would be the end of it.
My manager John Hayes arranged for a lawyer he knew to come up to Leyland as soon as possible. When eventually he did arrive, the police questioned me.
Interestingly, one of the policemen said to him, “Don’t worry, I don’t think Mr Roache is going to be charged.” That was because they had to send the details to the Crown Prosecution Service and wait for their reply, and they were absolutely convinced it wouldn’t happen. But then the CPS did charge me. And it just went on from there.
The thing was, in the wake of the horrendous situation with Jimmy Savile, John had told me I might be a target, because at that time celebrities were being accused of similar crimes.
John’s theory was that an
interview I had done with Piers Morgan in April 2012 had some part to play in my arrest.
Ken’s colourful relationship history on the Street was Piers’ way into talking about my personal life. Ken’s had 22 girlfriends, four wives (if you count both marriages to Deirdre), three children – Susan, Peter and Daniel – and a step-daughter, Tracey.
In my real life, it’s been no secret that my first marriage failed because I’d been unfaithful.
I was working away from home and the opportunity to stray was there. I deeply regret this and because of it, I lost my marriage and was separated from my two older children, Linus and Vanya, for some time.
In my marriage to Sara, I had been completely faithful. We had been together for 31 years and had three beautiful children, Verity, Edwina and William. Nevertheless, Piers persisted in asking me how many women I’d slept with and I said I did not know.
He started throwing numbers around. This was personal and I didn’t want to talk about it. So I deflected his questions with a shrug or a “maybe”, and at one stage I even jokingly pretended to walk off-stage.
When he continued to press me for numbers and asked if it was 1000 women, all I said was: “It could be. I don’t know.” Well, it went viral – “Bill Roache slept with 1000 women.” And I’d never said I had but I took it with good humour.
Looking back, it seems that it was certainly a trigger for the later claims, however unintentional.
I got home from the police station, shocked and exhausted. I was so happy and relieved to find my family there waiting for me.
We found that the trial wasn’t going to be for nearly a year and of course Granada had to suspend me but they still supported me right through the case. They were wonderful. I had nothing but support from my colleagues and friends, too.
Several of my Coronation Street co-stars were to be character witnesses for me when the time came. If you believe in someone, you support them no matter what. That’s what true friends are about.
Looking back, I could see that year out as a gift. I was never alone and I had more time with my family than ever before. It was obviously a very frightening time for them but they were wonderful – so loving and supportive. They virtually gave up their careers during that time.
Will, like Linus, is also an actor, and Verity is a Reiki healer and interior designer.
We created a sanctuary. We played endless games. Linus and I invented a kind of triathlon of golf, chess and backgammon that we called “The White Cottage Cup” after the name of our house.
The trial drew nearer until finally the first day, January 14 2014, arrived. It took three and a half weeks and the one day that I was slightly nervous was the day I was going to be in the witness box.
I wanted to make sure I was alert and that I heard everything. And, of course, I just wanted to speak the truth. It must be terrible if you’re covering up something and you’re lying in the witness box, because you’ve got to remember your lines.
I spoke the truth and just hoped that it would all come out okay.
John thought that the jury could be out for a few days but they came back in under three hours with unanimous verdicts.
When they were being read out, I didn’t actually hear the “not” on some of them, just the “guilty”. But I saw that Verity was crying. Then I realised that all was well. And that was that. It was all over. It was time to get back to work.
As I said at the time, in that situation, there were no winners. I don’t feel any resentment. We have to be forgiving, because forgiving releases us.
It’s not easy talking about hard times but it’s good to talk, because I believe in learning from what happens to us and going forwards.
Life and Soul by Bill Roache and published by Hay House UK is on sale from June 19.