The 91-year-old actress took to the stage in Manchester last weekend

“An Audience with Coronation Street” celebrated more than 12,000 episodes of the iconic soap, which has given fans a way to escape from reality for the last 65 years. The soap brings fans into the lives of the residents in Weatherfield, tacking real life issues including relationships, illnesses, family life and most importantly, the highs and lows of living in a working class town up North.

The ECHO was in attendance for the matinee show on Saturday, which saw four Coronation Street actors open up on their time in Weatherfield, before the legendary Barbara Knox took to the stage. Jack P Shepherd spoke about his childhood link to Helen Worth, while Julia Goulding explained she has always been a “fan girl” of the ITV soap. Samia Longchambon and Rob Mallard also talked the audience through their audition processes.

The show featured a Coronation Street icon, which in this case was the legendary Barbara Knox. The 91-year-old is one of the most recognisable names on British television, as the longest serving female star. She has spent more than five decades on Coronation Street and is described as an “icon of the cobbles”.

Knox was the special guest at the performance held at The Lowry, hosted by soap expert Sharon Marshall. Speaking of her appearance in front of a live audience, Barbara shared: “It’s so rare, it’s sensational because we don’t do it very often. We are very, very nervous and I hope the audience will like us.”

She opened up on her early days, how she kickstarted her career performing at a local theatre in her home town of Oldham, Greater Manchester. She also performed opposite comedian Sir Ken Dodd in his comedy series “Funny You Should Say That”.

She first appeared on the cobbles in 1964 as the loveable Rita Tanner. Barbara she was “very lucky” to have joined the original cast at such an iconic point in time. She has been a staple on our TV screens ever since.

But Rita has had her fair share of drama in Weatherfield over the years, including marrying Dennis Tanner and her relationship with foster daughter Jenny Bradley. But one of Barbara’s most powerful storylines centred around the abusive relationship between Rita and her husband, Alan Bradley.

Portrayed by Mark Eden, Alan Bradley was a manipulative partner who physically and emotionally abused Rita. He would lie to her, manipulate her and even steal from her. The hard-hitting storyline eventually led to his memorable death when he was hit by a tram in Blackpool while chasing after Rita.

Barbara has since spoken about the meaningful storyline, and how she received letters from women in similar situations in real life.

Speaking to the audience at The Lowry, Barbara said: “The letters that came in, there were two bin liners full from ladies going through the same situation, everybody from all walks of life.”

The actress was overwhelmed by the response to the storyline, and she was even asked to lead a talk to victims of abuse at the police station. Barbara said: “We knew we’d done a good thing showing that side of life.”

As Barbara’s section of the show came to an end, the audience rose from their seats to give the soap star a standing ovation. She received a round of applause as Barbara sang a rendition of “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn to end the afternoon.

For someone who was “nervous” for a live event, Barbara knew exactly how to address the audience and gave a perfect insight into her life both on and off the cobbles in her incredibly successful career.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX