Sue Nicholls has played the much-loved Audrey Roberts on Coronation Street for 42 years.
In all her time on the cobbles she’s only once refused a storyline.
Actress Sue spoke to bosses after a plot was pitched that she wasn’t happy about.
Here is all you need to know about that, as well as nine other top facts about the soap legend…
1. Sue Nicholls once turned down a big Coronation Street storyline for Audrey
Read more: Coronation Street spoilers: Audrey is upset by her family
Sue once revealed Corrie bosses axed a storyline they had pitched to her because she didn’t want to film it.
The plot would have seen Audrey turning to alcohol to cope with her loneliness.
Audrey has always coped perfectly well on her own, and despite her devastation at the loss of latest lover Lewis Archer on New Year’s Day 2020, Audrey has always been a tough cookie.
Sue didn’t agree with the storyline as she felt it would’ve been out of character for salon owner and hairdresser Audrey.
She told Digital Spy “I didn’t want to play a drunk forlorn little thing. It is nice that they went the other way.”
2. Sue Nicholls was in Crossroads before she played Audrey in Coronation Street
Although she’s best known for her Coronation Street character, Sue also appeared in the ITV soap Crossroads.
She played waitress Marilyn Gates from 1964-1968 and was involved in storylines including an interracial relationship and getting married to a vicar.
3. She is very close to her co-stars
Sue and her on-screen grandson Jack P Shepherd are close in real life.
Jack first appeared as David Platt in 2000 when he was eleven years old, so he has grown up working with Sue.
She once sent him a text saying “Darling. Give me a ring please. And I love you.” She then added “P.S. It’s Sue Nicholls, I play Audrey Roberts.”
Just had a text from "Me Gran" telling me
"Darling Give me a ring please. And I love you.
P.S it's Sue Nicholls, I play Audrey Roberts."
— Jack P Shepherd (@JackPShepherd88) June 14, 2017
4. She has won three British Soap Awards
Since she started playing Audrey in 1979, Sue has won three British Soap Awards for her role in Coronation Street.
The first came in 2000 when she was awarded the gong for Best Comedy Performance.
Then in 2003 she was given two more – Best Dramatic Performance and Hero of the Year for her role in the demise of villain Richard Hillman.
5. Sue was married to former co-star Mark Eden
Sue was married fellow actor Mark Eden.
Mark played famous villain Alan Bradley on Coronation Street from 1986-1989.
He was killed off in Blackpool when chasing Rita through the streets. In what has become an iconic scene, he was hit by a tram.
Sadly, Mark died on January 1 2021, aged 92, after living with Alzheimer’s disease for some time.
He had been in hospital since November 2020 and died peacefully in his sleep, according to his agent.
Speaking to The Mirror Online about meeting her husband, Sue revealed: “We’d both been round the block a hundred times. Mark was older than me and had been married twice, so I don’t think he was particularly looking.”
But she added Mark made her laugh so much she “knew it was something special”. They moved in together in 1984 and married in 1993.
6. Sue was in children’s TV favourite Rentaghost
Sue was also well know for her role in the children’s comedy Rentaghost.
She played Nadia Popov, a Dutch ghost who teleported away whenever she sneezed.
The show aired from 1976-1984 and also starred Edward Brayshaw, Molly Weir and Michael Staniforth.
6. A viewer saved her life after watching her play Audrey on Coronation Street
In 2011, an eagle-eyed Coronation Street viewer spotted a suspicious-looking mole on Sue’s shoulder.
The viewer was nurse Anna Bianconi-Moore, who emailed the Coronation Street team and Sue was immediately referred to a skin cancer specialist where she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma.
She had the mole removed and got in touch with Anna, inviting her to the studio as a thank you.
7. Sue Nicholls is a singer
She sang “Where Will You Be?” during her time on Crossroads, which reached number 17 in the UK charts.
She released a second single however it was not as successful as the first.
8. She has appeared in Coronation Street since 1979
Read more: Coronation Street spoilers: Summer and Aadi split?
Sue first appeared as Audrey Roberts in Corrie on April 16th 1979.
Audrey was attending daughter Gail and Brian Tilsley’s engagement party.
She has been with the cast of Coronation Street for nearly forty years and has been involved in some dramatic storylines.
Audrey is currently struggling with the way her family have been treating her.
Fearing they think she’s an old lady, she accuses them of being ageist, but is there more to her concerns than anyone realises?
9. She has been on Broadway
Sue is a woman of many talents. Not only has she starred in different TV roles, she has been in multiple plays and pantomimes.
In 1976 she toured America and Canada with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London Assurance, finishing with a six-week run on Broadway.
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