Good Morning Britain viewers were left stunned after Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy appeared on the programme. The actor joined the ITV soap in 1983 as Curly Watts, renowned for his hapless romantic endeavours and string of peculiar employment ventures.
Curly Watts' time on Coronation Street
Throughout his tenure on the enduring show, he featured in numerous major plotlines. From his passion for astronomy to his turbulent love life, his years in Weatherfield were packed with incident.
Nevertheless, he was last spotted in 2003 when he departed alongside wife Emma (Angela Lonsdale) for a fresh start in Newcastle. Following his departure, Kevin has remained active, featuring in programmes including BBC's Doctors, Mrs Browns' Boys and Holby City.
Fans fail to recognise the actor
And on Wednesday (October 14), he featured on Good Morning Britain to discuss his latest musical, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Yet viewers tuning in from home were left astonished as they admitted they failed to recognise the former soap favourite, reports the Express.
On X, one person said: "Is that our Curly." Someone else added: "I had to look him up I didn't recognise him." A third chimed in: "I thought he was Jim McDonald." Echoing their thoughts, another wrote: "Time flies, Curly Watts."
Kevin reflects on his Corrie days and sobriety
During his GMB appearance, Kevin reflected warmly on his Corrie days, remarking: "Oh, I mean, all of it is my favourite, actually. I'm very proud of that body of work, yeah, poor boy [Curly], he went through it!"
Kevin continued: "Even now when people come up and they do and they say, 'oh, I remember when you did that'. I think that's really humbling experience and I really love it. So it's great."
Kevin also opened up about his battle with alcoholism, revealing he has been sober for 28 years. He said: "Well, ITV and Coronation Street, effectively saved my life, sending me into rehab. And I was very, very, I still am very grateful for that. You know, I was in there 4 weeks and came out slightly different."
When questioned if his addiction was impacting his work on the soap, he shared: "Well, that's the thing about addicts. They're very resourceful, intelligent people. They have to be. This is why for the charity [Kennedy Street Foundation] that we do, we promote visual recovery."
As for what advice he has for those suspecting drinking or drugs might be a problem for them, Kevin said: "Well, the rule of thumb with alcohol or any drug or addiction is if it's costing you more than money, then maybe it's time to look at it. What I would say to you is, we do recover. We do recover. It's not all doom and gloom. It's going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of commitment, and you have to go to various health centres; there's enough out there.
"And if you do, as you're told, and if you do, as is suggested, then you will recover. I can guarantee you if you put down that drink and that drug, do what's suggested, your life will get better."
Good Morning Britain airs Monday to Friday at 6am on ITV1.
