Julie Goodyear receives devastating diagnosis

Julie Goodyear, one of Coronation Street’s all-time greats, has been diagnosed with dementia. The icon who played Bet Lynch for over three decades, has been “suffering forgetfulness” according to her husband Scott, and sought medical advice before the diagnosis.

In a statement made to the British media, Scott said:

"Unfortunately, Julie has been suffering forgetfulness for some time and we have been seeking medical advice and assistance - but we now know that there is no hope of a reversal in the situation and that her condition will get progressively, and perhaps speedily, worse.

"We have taken the decision to publicly announce the diagnosis as Julie still loves visiting friends and eating out. Inevitably, she is recognised and fans love to meet her - and she them - but she can get confused, particularly if she is tired. I hope people will understand.”

Despite having left Corrie back in 2003, Julie remains a fan favourite for her portrayal of the brassy, no-nonsense barmaid-turned-landlady. Bet is my all-time favourite Corrie character and Julie played her beautifully, tapping into the tragedy and comedy that made Coronation Street so unmissable back in the day.

I’m sure I speak for all at the Blog when I say we wish Julie all the best and she’ll be in our thoughts as she and her family navigate this difficult road. 

You can read more about the signs and symptoms of dementia and how it can be treated and lived with HERE. 

@StevieDawson

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You Bet! The Life of Coronation Street's Bet Lynch

Fans of the force of nature that was Bet Lynch, or Coronation Street in general, may be interested to hear about this show, dedicated entirely to one of Corrie's most famous icons.

Kathy Diamond plays Bet in this celebratory one-woman performance of monologues and music which raises a glass to the legendary character made famous by actor Julie Goodyear.

Written by Kathy and directed by James Cú, the show has two upcoming UK dates in Sheffield and Salford, and travels to Ireland for one night in Dublin.

29 September - Theatre Deli, Sheffield

1 October - The King's Arms, Salford

4 October - Liberty Hall Theatre, Dublin

You can find out more by visiting the show's Facebook and Instagram profiles. 

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.net
Twitter: @ELHynes
Instagram: emmalouhynes
Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites

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Dollynation Street

Now I’m not your typical doll collector but recently I stumbled across “Diva Dollies”. The amazing creations are the work of the talented David Dale who has a catalogue of amazing dolls styled on some of entertainment’s most glamorous, camp and iconic divas. 

I immediately commissioned one of my own and here she is, Bet Lynch herself, alongside a Corrie diva David had already created, Ena Sharples:

                         

The dolls are Barbie sized (how am I going to explain this to my friends?) and dressed in their character's most famous outfits. Here are a few of my favourites from David's collection:                     

JOAN CRAWFORD & BETTE DAVIS

CHER

LILY SAVAGE

 

MARGARET RUTHERFORD

You can find David Dale’s collection on Facebook by searching “Diva Dollies”. There’s a pretty hefty waiting list but David is always looking for new divas to bring to life. Who would your Corrie Dolly Diva be?

DAVID DALE (CENTRE)

David's other talent is drag and he performs up and down the country, as well as overseas. Also look out for David in panto at Christmas time!

Twitter: @StevieDawson

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When Bet Lynch was in The Beano

With thanks to Coronation Street fan @StevenFlavell1 on Twitter for posting this little gem I hadn't seen before.

It's a comic strip of some of the classic Coronation Street characters in The Beano and it's from 1992.

You might also like to see The Beano immortalising Jack P Shepherd and Alexandra Mardell. 

And When Coronation Street was turned into a cartoon strip.

Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!   

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Vote for your favourite Soap Star Sofa

Last week Bet Lynch was named the most famous soap icon of all time. This was in a poll conducted by ScS.

And now, ScS has gone and created a Bet Lynch sofa! Perfect for your boudoir.

The Bet Sofa

The Deirdre sofa

There are four soap icons who have had sofas created in their image - EastEnders' Peggy Mitchell and Dot Branning and Coronation Street's Deirdre Barlow and Bet Lynch.

But which is your favourite soap star sofa? Vote here!

Vicki Burns, Communications Executive at ScS, said: “We know people love their soaps and over the years we have been treated to many iconic sofa moments in soap land. Our poll has voted stars of Coronation Street and EastEnders as the most iconic and memorable in terms of style, which we have turned into would-be sofa designs inspired by their character.

“Here at ScS, we are all big fans of watching soaps on the sofa and this year, 100 years of the suffragette, is the perfect time to celebrate some of our favourite female characters. We hope people enjoy our take on how the sofas of these characters could look and we’d encourage everyone to get involved and vote for their favourite on Facebook.”

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