Coronation Street icon Wendi Peters slams bosses axing Les Battersby off-screen and reveals how she wants Cilla to die
CORONATION Street legend Wendi Peters has hit out at soap bosses for the way they axed Les Battersby.
The actress – who played the iconic Cilla Battersby-Brown in the ITV soap until 2014 – also revealed how she would want them to kill off Cilla should the time come.
The Sun exclusively revealed how Les was being killed off off-screen in an upcoming dramatic storyline.
Actor Bruce Jones, who played Les for a decade, admitted feeling snubbed by ITV last month – after learning the news via email.
The actor, 71, who was suspended in 2007 after insulting fans and revealing top secret plotlines during a boozy night out, said: “I got an email from the casting office saying, ‘Dear Mr Jones, I am sorry to inform you Les Battersby will die in the next few months.
“I read the email and thought, why send me an email like that? Why call me Mr. Jones? Why not call me Bruce?
“That annoyed me a little bit, but then I felt relieved. Maybe it’s time for me to go now.”
Wendi, who also joined the cast of BBC soap Doctors in February 2023 as Nina Bulsara for seven months, says: “It’s a bit bizarre.
“I guess we haven’t been there for 20 years, so we’re not under contract. They can decide whatever they want to do.
“However, there might have been a nicer way of approaching it.”
As for Cilla’s own potential ending, Wendi hopes it’s dramatic.
ITV bosses haven’t invited her back since but she hopes that if her iconic character does get killed off it will be a dramatic finale.
The Lancashire-born star says: “It would have to be an outrageous ending for Cilla.
“We went to Africa for a one-off for a DVD so maybe she could be eaten by lions.”
She has a few keepsakes from her time on the soap stashed away.
She says: “I have my wedding script that Status Quo signed for me because they sang at Les and Cilla’s wedding. They came out when I went back for a few weeks when Jenni was leaving for her maternity leave but they never venture out otherwise. I still have Cilla’s jewellery and silver bag.
My daughter will inherit it one day and go, ‘what on earth is this?’’
She’s not ruling out more soap work but her love for theatre remains strong and she is still keen to follow in the footsteps of her comedy heroine – Patricia Routledge.
Coronation Street - Gemma and Chesney's income
CORONATION Street’s Gemma and Chesney Winter-Brown are hiding a HUGE monthly income – despite pleading poverty.
The couple – who have five kids between them – often find themselves struggling for money.
But a die-hard fan of the ITV show worked out what the couple really had in the bank, and it will surprise some viewers.
The viewer’s workings included:
Earnings:
Gemma income (20hrs/wk) £990
Chesney income (25hrs/wek) £1,185
Universal Credit (as a couple) £2,500
Child Benefit £405
Total: £5,080
Outgoings:
Rent £1,525
Council Tax (Band A) £130
Gas and electricity £320
Water £45
TV licence £15
Broadband and landline £25
TV packages £15
House contents insurance £10
Petrol for car £40
Parking, bus, tram, taxis £40
Car insurance £70
Road tax £20
Car maintenance £50
Medical, dental, opticians £80
School clubs, kids activities £120
Food £1,600
Clothes £200
Toiletries £180
Laundry + cleaning products £120
Incidental £50
Household goods/replacements £50
Total: £4,750
This means the couple would have almost £300 a month spare.
Wendi admits: “I’d love to work on a sitcom like Alma’s Not Normal. I’ve never done a sitcom or a British comedy and I would absolutely love to.”
To watch Wendi in Panto at Stockport Plaza, go to https://stockportplaza.co.uk/whats-on/sleeping-beauty/