Amanda Barrie, best known for playing Alma Halliwell on Coronation Street, has said she is certain she would have been fired from the soap if producers had known she was bisexual. The 90-year-old actress played the beloved character from 1988 to 2001, but kept her sexuality a secret during her time on the show.
Barrie, who married crime novelist Hilary Bonner in 2014, came out as bisexual in her 2002 memoir It's Not A Rehearsal. She told The Sun that the attitudes of the time meant she had no choice but to hide her true self. 'Not thought, I KNOW I would have been [fired], taking into account the climate at the time,' she said.
The actress noted how much things have changed, pointing out that Coronation Street now features many gay and lesbian characters. 'Corrie's like Canal Street in Manchester these days,' she said. 'The people I was close to always knew about me... I still remember when gay men were absolutely crucified for being the way they were.'
Barrie, who also appeared in Bad Girls and Benidorm, said she hopes society will eventually reach a point where a person's sexuality is considered 'unimportant'. Speaking to The Sun, she said: 'I believe in the freedom to do and be exactly as you wish in life... I dream of a day when people's sexuality is regarded as so unimportant that no one even bothers to remark on whether somebody is gay or straight.'
Reflecting on her own coming out, Barrie told Good Morning Britain last year that she had expected a negative reaction but instead received 'a lot of hugs'. She added that she had spent years 'editing' her life, changing pronouns and hiding her relationships.
