‘Coronation Street’ actress Anne Kirkbride is set to quit the soap.
The 60-year-old star, who’s played Deirdre Barlow since 1972, was given a three-month break in September due to "personal issues", but has failed to return to the show and is said to be questioning her future.
A ‘Coronation Street’ insider told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "While she loves the show, she finds it very draining.
"In the weeks before she was written out she would break down on set, crying that she couldn’t cope.
"She’s become increasingly worried about filming scenes with lots of people.
"Bosses have tried to help, but she’s still found it tough."
Meanwhile, ‘Coronation Street’ boss Stuart Blackburn recently insisted "no one is safe" from the axe.
The soap showrunner – who was dubbed the Grim Reaper for killing off big names during his time at ‘Emmerdale’ – conceded he considered ending the lives of a number of characters in the show’s mini-bus crash storyline.
He said: "No one was safe.
"When you sit around a writers’ table the truth is all of them [the characters] are fair game.
"That’s not about being gratuitous, it’s about having a cause and effect."
Anne Kirkbride ‘to quit Coronation Street’
