The Mirror reports that Barbara, who plays Rita Tanner, was being driven home by daughter Maxine Ashcroft when police pulled them over.
Maxine was breathalysed before being taken to a police station where further tests allegedly showed her nearly three times the legal limit.
Barbara - who has been on Coronation Street for more than 40 years - later went to Knutsford Police Station, in Cheshire, to demand Maxine's release, reportedly yelling:"Do you know who I am?"
Officers suspected Barbara had driven to the station under the influence of alcohol and arrested the veteran actress.
Mr Curry Sauce tells the Mirror: "Barbara wasn't happy her daughter had been arrested. She kept yelling, 'Do you know who I am?' She turned up at the police station knocking the door and demanding her daughter be released. But the officers suspected she had driven to the station herself so they arrested her as well."
A Cheshire Police spokesman last night said: "Police stopped a car in Hollow Lane in Knutsford. A 56-year-old woman from Gloucestershire was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. An 80-year-old woman from Knutsford later arrived at Knutsford Police Station and was also arrested on suspicion of drink-driving."
Barbara was released on bail pending further police enquiries while Maxine will appear at Macclesfield magistrates court on Wednesday.
A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "This is a personal and private matter."
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17 comments:
For someone as private as Barbara Knox, this must be awful. I only hope it doesn't lead to an "Annie Walker" situation, where she is humiliated into leaving the show.
Bunch of hypocrites coronation street is she will get a slap on the wrist from the show but the younger cast get the sack
It sure does seem that way, but perhaps the management may be still be trying to get at the facts...
They won't 'sack' Barbara because of this, she's too valuable an asset to the street, and rightly so, if it's proven (and I sincerely hope it's all a fabrication), then barbara will be driven to media city for her scenes
, end of.
If it's true, it's not the drink/driving that's so sad, it's the 'do you know who I am?' routine. That sounds so clichéd, though, I wonder if it's fabricated.
John Mce - how "awful" for Barbara Knox - do you know how "awful" it is for family of victims of drunk driving? You would think they could afford to call a can on their soap star salaries. Disgusting behaviour if its true.
She'd have to be pretty stupid to drive herself to the police station after her daughter was arrested after they spent the afternoon getting sozzled. Maybe the old dear is losing her marbles
What a hilarious story!
I agree with Frosty - I have no sympathy with drunk drivers. Just hope it isn't true.
Ditto; no sympathy for drivers under the influence of anything, alcohol or drugs.
Don't like the "do you know who I am" which is commonly used by well-known persons.
Hope it isn't true, but Rita, Barbara or not, she is but human and not a scripted character.
Agree, it's not awful at all for Knox - it is the innocent victims that could have been part of this story. The public shaming might be a wake-up call for her and her daughter if the story is true.
Another ditto for Frosty. No excuses. Ever!
Sad indication of a culture (and not the only one) that promotes the entertainment of over indulging in alcohol as a regular part of life. How many have drinks at lunch, before heading back to work, or stop off for a drink everyday after work? No matter how much we collectively disagree with drink-driving, until the normalized behavior behind it changes, it will continue.
Let's not forget, Innocent until proven guilty!
This is an example of the generational difference in attitude we're still dealing with. Young people are starting to get the message that drinking, then driving, is not acceptable: older people, with a lifetime of a dangerous habit, not so much! The "Do you know who I am?" attitude of entitlement is also symptomatic of a "class" structured society, although that one, unfortunately, seems to be perpetuated by today's young celebrities.
It would seem that age has not brought wisdom to our beloved Ms. Knox. Too much alcohol brings poor judgement, no matter how much experience. We're never too old to learn life's harsh lessons!
Poor duckie should take the hint and retire. She's too old to be carrying on like this IMO.
If Barbara Knox had been drinking, then why wasn't she charged, like her daughter? Surely it's easy enough o establish if she was over the limit? This does not have the ring of truth to me.
Also, isn't anyone else concerned that the goings on in our police stations appear in the tabloids even before suspects have been released? I hope Knutsford police station is conducting a thorough inquiry into whether there was any misconduct in a public office here.
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