Anne Reid

She received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland in July 2015.

She was named Oldie Pin-Up of the Year at the 2014 Oldie Magazine Awards.

She admitted on BBC1's Breakfast Show on November 18, 2013 that she suffers from vertigo.

She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Drama.

She had her scenes from Love Actually (2003) cut from the final film, they feature in the DVD extras. She played the school Headmistress, whose lesbian lover was played by Frances de la Tour.

This bore fruit in the role of Jean in the hit sitcom 'dinnerladies' (1998 - 2000).

She twice played the daughter in a mother and daughter role with Dora Bryan, both times for Victoria Wood and despite being only 12 years younger than Bryan. The first time was in 1986 in a sketch for an episode of Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV (1985). The second time was in 1998 in an episode of Dinnerladies (1998).

She acted in two BBC television adaptations of Charles Dickens' classic story Bleak House, Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985) and Bleak House (2005).

She continued in steady work and in the late 1980's became one of the regulars used by 'Victoria Wood' in her TV shows.

She gave up smoking in 1978 and smoked herbal cigarettes to play Mrs Thackeray in the revival of Upstairs Downstairs (2010).

Gave birth to her only child at age 36, a son Mark Eckersley on November 13, 1971. Child's father was her husband, Peter Eckersley.

She chose to leave 'Coronation Street' at the end of 1970 because she didn't want to spend the rest of her career playing the same part. Shortly afterwards she gave birth to her son, her husband was ill and she looked after her mother. As a consequence, she didn't work much for the next 12 years.

Her Coronation Street (1960) character Valerie Barlow became the 3rd woman in the soap opera to give birth. Valerie had twins Susan (played originally by Katie Heannau and later Joanna Foster) and Peter (played by originally by Robert Heanue and later Chris Gascoyne), born on 5 April 1965.

She is one of 31 performers to have acted in Doctor Who (1963) and Doctor Who (2005). She played Nurse Crane in Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric: Part One (1989) and Florence Finnegan in Doctor Who: Smith and Jones (2007).

After several small roles in the classic 1950s British TV shows 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' and 'Hancock's Half Hour' she found fame as Ken Barlow's wife Valerie in the #1 UK TV show 'Coronation Street' she remained with the show for a decade before leaving to give birth and bring up her son. Her character was accidentally electrocuted while trying to plug in a hairdryer.

One of 31 performers to have both acted in the 20th century Doctor who and the 21st Century Doctor Who.

She is the younger sister of Thomas (b. 1921) and Colin Reid (b. 1923).