Coronation Street fans were taken aback after learning the age of Barbara Knox, who portrays Rita Tanner.
This stalwart character originally graced the cobbles in 1964 and over time, Rita has become a cherished figure on the soap opera.
Currently, Barbara trails only behind Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, at 92 years old in terms of age.
Famously, the owner of The Kabin shop, Rita, has been involved in numerous significant storyline events over her decades in Weatherfield.
Involving affairs, feuds and no shortage of high drama.
Rita can also count Len Fairclough, Ted Sullivan and Dennis Tanner among her three husbands during her years on the show.
Interestingly, she holds the record for the most marriage proposals, an outstanding number of 15 from 12 varying men, reports the Express.
Nonetheless, it’s the recent revelation concerning actress Barbara’s age that has left viewers astounded. Reacting to the news on a Coronation Street fan page on Facebook, one flabbergasted fan wrote: “As if Rita is 90 ! ! She looks amazing! ! “.
Others followed suit expressing their admiration, with another stating: “Nooo way ! …she looks fabulous.” A third individual typed: “She’s amazing for her age.”
Agreeing with the sentiments, another added: “Beautifulest actress ever on Corrie still looks fab at 90.” And yet another fan declared: “Yes she is. Omg she does look bloody good ! ! “.
Barbara impersonated Rita Littlewood for the first time in a single episode of Coronation Street on 2 December 1964, where she played a dancer and pal of Dennis Tanner. She reprised the role in January 1972 as Rita Bates, the de facto spouse of Harry Bates.
In 2010, Barbara was honoured with an MBE for her contributions to drama. She has also bagged numerous accolades for her portrayal of Rita, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards.
Last year, it was reported that she inked an extension on her Corrie contract. A source revealed to The Sun: “Barbara is in Corrie’s DNA.”
“She is a true professional, and the executives were thrilled that she signed on the dotted line to ensure she’s on our screens into next year.”
The insider added: “Corrie is a lovely, stable place to work with a supportive team, so it makes it easy to fit around family, having kids and as the cast have grown older.”
Follow us to see more useful information, as well as to give us more motivation to update more useful information for you.
Source: New York Post
