CORRIE STAR’S CLOSE ENCOUNTER
Rovers Return telly legend buzzed by a ‘ball of light’
A TOP Corrie star had a close encounter with a UFO near the soap’s famous cobbles – but kept it quiet as she feared she would be ridiculed, reveals expert investigator John Hanson.
CORRIE legend Betty Driver once had a close encounter with a UFO.
The actress – who played barmaid Betty Turpin for 42 years in the ITV soap – spotted a strange ball of light hovering near her house.
But she and her sister Freda kept quiet about their experience as they thought people would make fun of them.
Later Betty – whose telly character was famous for serving up her pub hotpot lunches
– confided in UFO expert and former detective John Hanson.
He recounted the sisters’ supernatural tale in his book Haunted Skies: The Encyclopaedia Of British UFOs.
John said Freda saw the object first and then Betty, who died in 2011, also watched as it shot up into the sky over West Didsbury in Manchester in 1977.
Freda recalled: “I noted it had a slightly misty halo and thought to myself, ‘It’s watching me as well.’”
“After about 15 minutes I decided to summon up the courage and venture outside, asking my sister Betty to come with me. “After five minutes or so it shot up into the sky and disappeared, followed by the wind dropping dramatically.” Author John, who worked for West Midlands CID, said: “Needless to say, Freda and Betty decided to keep quiet, fearing ridicule.”
The next year the sisters had a second close encounter 40 miles away while driving near Ellesmere Port in Merseyside.
This time they claimed the UFO travelled alongside their car.