Ken Barlow is synonymous with Coronation Street.
The character is played by William Roache, who appeared on the very first episode of the ITV show in 1960. The soap legend has been a mainstay on the Cobbles ever since and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest serving television star in a continuous role.
William has portrayed Ken through some of the British soap's most iconic storylines such as the love triangle with Mike Baldwin and Deirdre Barlow that gripped the nation in 1982. Ken's turbulent love life has regularly been a source of drama in Weatherfield - and he has had five children across marriages to three different women.
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Away from the screen, Ken's real life counterpart has also regularly hit the headlines. William married TV actress, Anne Cropper, in 1961 when he was 29 years old. The couple shared two children together named Linus and Vanya before they divorced in 1974.
William revealed he was never faithful to his first wife as he once claimed he slept with over 1,000 women - and said he regrets his choices. He told the Mirror : "Looking back, I didn’t know any better. But what I did find out is it does not bring you happiness and it is not the way to be. I had the opportunity, I indulged it and I can tell you this: it’s not worth it. The pain that it caused, and there’s all sorts of dangers."
He added: "I had the opportunity, but that doesn’t mean I should do it. I had rehearsals up in Manchester from Monday to Friday. The opportunity was there.
“There were plenty of girls around. I shouldn’t have done it. I didn’t have any control over my own sex drive. I didn’t have the strength to control it. It depressed me. I’m so sorry for the things that I did. The hurt was the children. I’ll always regret that. Every morning I woke up regretting and hurting.”
William revealed he once had an affair with Corrie co-star, Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner on the show. However, the actor said it was just a fling and the two "weren't right for each other".
He added: "It was just something that happened one night when we were together. She invited me round to her flat and we had a few drinks, then one thing led to another. At that time, she had a reputation and I had a reputation, and she felt we should meet, as it were. It just happened.”
William married his second wife, Sara Mottram, in 1978 and the two had three children together named Verity, Edwina and James. However, the family were hit with tragedy in 1984 when Edwina died aged 18 months old after contracting pneumonia.
William has since been rocked by two more personal tragedies as his second wife suddenly died aged 58 in 2008 - and his daughter, Vanya, died from a liver condition in 2018 at the age of 50. The Corrie actor crashed his car in snow on the way to the hospital, which meant he was unable to say "goodbye" to Vanya - and he described the pain of losing a child as "unbearable".
He told the Mirror : "To not be able to say goodbye to Vanya was awful. But I take some comfort in now knowing she is in a better place and at peace. I like to think about the happier times we had. And when I say ‘I love you Vanya’ I know she hears it."
In 2013, William Roache's life was thrown into turmoil when he was arrested and detained on suspicion of rape and indecent assault. The charges related to five women and were alleged to have taken place between 1965 and 1971, when the women were aged between 14 and 16.
The actor strenuously denied the allegations and was cleared of all charges after a trial in February 2014. From the steps of the court, he said : "I have just got one thing to say, in these situations there are no winners and I think we should all be much kinder to ourselves. Now if you excuse me I would like to get back to work."
William returned to the screen after the trial and his character's declining health has been the subject of storylines in recent years. Ken suffered a stroke in 2016 and was seriously injured after being pushed down the stairs by Daniel Osbourne.
Away from the screen, William is set to celebrate his 90th birthday later this month on April 25 - and occasionally still appears on the show. William is showing no sign of quitting Weatherfield for good just yet as it was reported he was offered a "six figure" contract to stay for another year on Corrie.
A source told the Daily Star : "Bill is a huge part of Coronation Street and they know how much the fans adore him. They love the idea of marking his 90th birthday with a great storyline.
"Bill may be pushing 90 but he still has the energy, passion and talent that make him soap's greatest-ever actor."
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV and ITV Hub
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