Coronation Street star Bill Roache has opened up about the secret feud he had with his co-star, revealing that the row lasted for two whole years. According to the actor, things went wrong with a fellow soap star, resulting in a years long dispute.
Making an appearance alongside some of his Corrie co-stars, the actor, who has played Ken Barlow on the soap since it first aired in December 1960, opened up about the falling out.
Speaking during An Audience With Coronation Street on stage at The Lowry in Salford, Roache told This Morning soap expert Sharon Marshall that he fell out with original cast member Pat Phoenix (via The Mirror).
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During the chat, Roache explained how the fight came about after Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner, disagreed with how one of their scenes would play out with his on-screen wife Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid).
Setting the scene, Roache said: “I had a scene where she’d said something unkind to my wife, and I told her off.
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“Pat said to the director ‘I don’t think she’d take this from this young man.’ She said she wanted to do something in the end, and the director said ‘Yes, Pat, anything you want’.
“So Pat asked me to pause and she’d throw an ashtray at me. I said, ‘No, Pat, you know what you’ve done here, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s unprofessional.’ We didn’t talk for two years.”
Following their falling out, the Ken Barlow actor said that the co-stars only began talking again after Phoenix decided the feud was over.
He explained: “Two years later, we’re standing together waiting to film a scene, still not talking and it was her birthday coming up.
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“She said ‘Oh I suppose you’d better come to my party then’, and we became good friends after that!”
The 93-year-old was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at The Entertainment Agents’ Awards earlier this year.
Speaking at the time, he said: “I’ve been fortunate to work with some absolutely incredible actors over that period and made a lifetime of memories. I’m looking forward to being in the programme for many more years to come – hopefully until I am 100!”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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