Coronation Street star Barbara Knox has celebrated a major birthday, and fans have been left astonished by her real age. The actress, who has played Rita Tanner on the long-running ITV soap for decades, recently marked her 93rd birthday.
Barbara first appeared on Coronation Street in 1964 as Rita Tanner. Since then, Rita has become one of the soap's most beloved and iconic characters. The Kabin owner has been at the centre of numerous big storylines over the years, from a brain tumour diagnosis to being involved in the epic tram crash stunt. Her love life has also often been a talking point among viewers, with three husbands during her stint: Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson), Ted Sullivan (William Russell) and Dennis Tanner (Phillip Lowrie).
Fans pay tribute to the soap legend
This week, Barbara celebrated her birthday, with several fans paying tribute to the soap icon. On a Coronation Street Facebook fan page, one person wrote: “Happy 93rd Birthday to Barbara Knox's aka Rita. Have a lovely day.”
Rushing to the comments section, fans were left stunned by her real age. One person wrote: “Still going strong on Corrie keep it up ,love your acting.” Another added: “Looking incredible for her age.” A third chimed in: “A beautiful lady.”
A career spanning decades
Barbara initially assumed the role of Rita Littlewood on Coronation Street on 2 December 1964, portraying an exotic dancer and pal of Dennis Tanner for a single episode. She made a full-time comeback in January 1972 as Rita Bates, establishing herself as a regular and endearing presence in the soap.
In 2010, Barbara was honoured with an MBE for her contributions to drama and has won numerous awards for her portrayal of Rita, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards.
Reflecting on her first outing
To mark the soap's 60th anniversary, Barbara recalled her first outing on set. In a video posted on Twitter from the Rovers Return, she said: "I want to tell you a bit about it, and I want to tell you I started right here, on this spot, all those years ago as Rita Littlewood."
"I'd come to sing at the Viaduct Club, but I had no digs so I came in here and Stan Ogden - Hilda Ogden's husband - was very kind to me and said, 'Sit down love and get her a drink, and Dennis Tanner will be here in a few minutes and he's the manager of the Viaduct Club, he'll find somewhere for you.'"
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
