Liz Dawn: I'll always be Vera

Coronation Street's Liz Dawn has spoken about how devastated she is to leave the soap after 34 years playing Vera Duckworth.

The actress, who was diagnosed with chronic lung disease emphysema in 2002, said that her illness meant she could barely move around the set, leading her to announce her departure from the role.

She explained that when she first brought up leaving, producers were so keen for her to stay on the show that they rewrote the storyline so her character would have a sprained ankle.

Dawn, who is 68, said: "I always thought I would play Vera until my dying day - but now I just want to spend the rest of my days enjoying my life with my family.

"I'll be Vera till the day I die and they'll put 'Ta-ra Chuck' on my tombstone," she added.

In 2000, Dawn received an MBE for raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for hospitals around Manchester and Leeds.

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