Coronation Street legend Julie Goodyear has been diagnosed with dementia, her husband has confirmed. The actress from Bury, who is best known for portraying Bet Lynch in the ITV soap opera, has been 'suffering forgetfulness for some time' and it is now said that her condition will get 'progressively worse'.
Julie, 81, first joined Coronation Street as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming a series regular from 1970 to 1995. She returned for eight episodes in 2002 and another seven in 2003.
For her role on the long-running soap, Julie received the Special Recognition Award at the 1995 National Television Awards. She was later made an MBE in the 1996 New Year Honours.
