Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Coronation Street star Bill Roache ‘recovered well’ after testing positive for coronavirus

Actor says he is ‘looking forward to returning to the cobbles as soon as possible’

Roisin O'Connor
Monday 29 March 2021 05:51 EDT
Comments
Ken Barlow says goodbye to Eccles the dog in Coronation Street

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Coronation Street star William Roache has recovered after testing positive for Covid-19, ITV has said.

The 88-year-old, who has been part of the beloved soap since it launched in 1960, wanted to clarify he had taken some time off following recent reports about his health, according to the BBC.

He has apparently “recovered well” and is now “looking forward to returning to the cobbles as soon as possible”.

Roache and Coronation Street’s other older castmembers were initially kept away from the set when the pandemic began, as they were among the most at-risk from the virus.

Filming resumed in June last year, following an enforced break in production due to the lockdown that began in March 2020.

Last year, Roache received the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving TV soap star, having worked on Coronation Street for six decades.

Read more:

Tonight (Monday 29 March), a tribute will be shown to Johnny Briggs, the actor who starred for 30 years as Mike Baldwin, the rival of Roache’s character, Ken Barlow.

Briggs died in February, aged 85.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in