Where has Deirdre Barlow gone?

I'm getting a bit tired of there being no feminine touch at No. 1 Coronation Street (we can't count Tracy). Deirdre's disappeared off our screens and although Ken did say at one point that she was visiting Bev, I'm also quite sure that he mentioned her last night as if she was at home, but we haven't seen her in weeks.

I've grown up with Deirdre around and I love her, she's one of my favourite characters, even when she does ill-advised things like sleep with Dev Alahan. I really hope she's back soon. Maybe she can send Tracy upstairs to play her tapes again.