Coronation Street icon Bill Roache won’t be leaving the cobbles anytime soon.
The Ken Barlow star, who is the only remaining original cast member of Corrie, confirmed he’s staying on the ITV series at last night’s The Entertainment Agents’ Awards (TEAA).
The soap stalwart was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by co-star Claire Sweeney, who plays Cassie Plummer on Corrie and said she was “honoured to have worked with Bill”.
Speaking on receiving the award, Roache said: “It’s a huge honour to receive this award, and I am very grateful for it.”
“I’ve enjoyed a wonderful career, and to have spent so many years working on such a special programme like Coronation Street has been magical,” he continued.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some absolutely incredible actors over that period and made a lifetime of memories.”
Finally, he reassured fans he will stay in Weatherfield for the foreseeable.
“I’m looking forward to being in the programme for many more years to come,” he said.
At the event, Sweeney showered Roache with praise over the dramatic storyline they’re both involved in at the moment.
“Not only is he a legend, he is part of the very fabric of British television,” she said.
“Watching him and working with him – he never drops a line. He’s so smart and aware and just seems to be ahead of everyone.
“He’s brilliant, he’s a kind and generous man, and I feel honoured to have this storyline with him.”
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Cassie, who moved to the cobbles to reconnect with her biological son Tyrone Dobbs in 2023, has been poisoning Ken for an extended period.
She befriended Ken after a fall and convinced him to hire her as a carer. On the job, she drugged him to steal his credit card and make expensive purchases.
Ken realised what had been going on and told his family, with Cassie making amends with him as well as Tyrone and Fiz.