जीवनी

She had her scenes from Love, Actually (2003) deleted 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.

She chose to leave Coronation Street (1960) at the end of 1970 because she didn't want to spend the rest of her career playing the same role. Shortly afterwards, she gave birth to her son, her husband was sick and she looked after her mother. As a consequence, she didn't work much for the next 12 years.

She turned down a role in Calendar Girls (2003) so she could star in The Mother (2003).

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

She comes from a family connected with journalism and newspapers.

I still just love acting! Most of us agree it's like a child's game, really; doesn't seem like a serious job at all. I love doing comedy.

[on being awarded the MBE in June 2010] Thrilled and delighted and amazed.

I don't trust journalists as far as I can throw them. My family were all in newspapers.

As you get older the phone stops ringing, which is inevitable because people stop asking for you.

Newspapers are much more intrusive today. People discuss their intimate sex lives in detail. I wouldn't. Well, I have nothing to talk about.