Ken Barlow is left with "colossal anger" toward his daughter Tracey after he discovers she is the reason he lost out on time with his wife before her death in a new ‘Coronation Street’ storyline.
The character – played by Bill Roache, 81 – finds out that Deirdre stayed away from Weatherfield because she was so ashamed that Tracey had embarked on an affair with her best friend Liz McDonald’s partner Tony Stewart (Terence Maynard), leaving grieving Ken deeply upset and furious.
Bill revealed: "When he hears the real reason she stayed away he gets very angry, because he has been deprived of the last few weeks and months of life with the person he loves, all because Tracy misbehaved.
"Ken has this double emotion to deal with – tremendous grief at the loss of Deirdre, and colossal anger at Tracy."
Deirdre – played by Anne Kirkbride, who sadly passed away from breast cancer in January – will be written out of the soap this week when Liz (Beverley Callard) arrives at Ken’s home interrupting preparations for his beloved wife’s return home from her extended break and her surprise 60th birthday party, to share the devastating news she has passed away.
And Bill admitted that he felt the loss of both Anne and Deirdre when his character was given Dierdre’s famous specs that she wore for decades on ‘Coronation Street’.
Speaking to website Mirror.co.uk, he added: "From an acting point of view, it made it totally simple and totally believable and very easy to play. From the grieving and sadness point of view, it made it totally real."
Corrie’s Ken Barlow will be enraged by Tracey
