Coronation Street legend, 93, in rare health update six years after last appearance on ITV soap
FANS have been given a rare update on a Coronation Street legend, 93, six years after their last appearance on the cobbles.
TV legend Eileen Derbyshire, 93, stepped away from Coronation Street in 2016 for an “extended break”.
The actress, who played Emily Bishop for a whopping 55 years, made a brief return in 2019 via video call.
Now, her son Oliver, who is a sports journalist, has shared how she’s doing, revealing she’s “well looked after and happy” – sending fans into a frenzy with memories of her iconic time on the cobbles.
He told The Times that his mother is “private, and one of the last of a dying breed of old-fashioned actresses who do it for the love of acting, not for all the attendant publicity.”
He also shared a number of Coronation Street artefacts from his mum’s archive.
He posted a picture of the cast in 1969 and said: “Back at my mum’s place. Found this packed away. Halcyon days of Coronation Street.”
Sharing a snap of a framed collage, Oliver wrote: “Still in its wrapping – photo marking 30th anniversary of the start of the Street.”
Concerned Corrie fans flocked to the comment section to ask about the star’s wellbeing.
One fan asked: ‘I’m loving these memories, but is your Mum okay?”
Oliver replied: ’‘She’s doing ok, Matthew. It’s kind of you to ask. She’s 93 now so she has a few issues but she’s well looked after and is happy.”
Some of her most memorable storylines as Emily on the soap included her string of problematic romances.
She jilted her shopkeeper colleague Leonard Swindley (Arthur Lowe) at the alter and confessed she only married him in fear of ending up a spinster.
Her next lover Ernie Bishop (Stephen Hancock) was brutally murdered and Emily’s second husband, pet shop owner Arnold Swain (George Waring) was revealed to be a bigamist.
Emily also kept busy with charity efforts around Weatherfield and shared plenty of laughs with her lodgers, the ever-grumpy Percy Sugden (Bill Waddington) and the gossip-loving Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden).
Eileen – who still holds the title as the longest serving female on a soap opera – left Corrie in 2015.
Corrie cash crisis: shock exits for 2025
ITV bosses are locked in a battle to save the cash-strapped soap.
This means that a number of stars have either been axed from or have abandoned the long-running serial drama.
Colson Smith – Craig Tinker
The character of Craig Tinker has been axed by bosses after 14 years. After he was told of the news in Autumn 2024, Colson Smith confirmed that would be written out of the show with scenes to air later this year. Craig’s on-screen mum, Beth Tinker, also left the show in the summer when actress Lisa George was written out from the role.
Sue Cleaver – Eileen Grimshaw
After 25 years playing Eileen Grimshaw, former I’m A Celebrity campmate Sue Cleaver will quit the show. The Sun on Sunday reported in January that she’s already begun to film her exit scenes. However the character will not be killed off in case Sue opts to make a return in the future.
Luca Toolan – Mason Radcliffe
Bosses decided to axe the teenage character after just 16 months after he first joined the show. Recent scenes saw Mason stabbed by his criminal brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.
Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster
In November 2024, we revealed that Debbie Webster is set to be killed off after 40 years on the cobbles. The character will die as part of a heartbreaking long-running dementia storyline.
Charlotte Jordan – Daisy Midgeley
The actress became the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month. We revealed that she will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.
Shelley King – Yasmeen Metcalfe
The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and we revealed in January that she finished filming her final scenes. This follows the departure of her on-screen partner Stu Carpenter.
She was granted time off by bosses for personal reasons and executives said she refused to call time on her career as one of the biggest names in soap.
They insisted the door has been left open for her to return at any time, although there are “no immediate plans” according to a show source.
Emily is regularly referenced on screen, most recently during an episode in 2019, with Eileen, who joined Weatherfield in January 1961, filming cameos on the soap in 2016, and again in 2019.
After she decided to take a break, writers explained her absence with a storyline that saw her go to South America to spend time with hippy nephew Spider.
Emily Bishop can be seen in Classic Coronation Street on weekdays from 2:40pm on ITV3.