CORONATION Street star Irene Sutcliffe has died aged 88.
The actress made her debut on the cobbles in 1968 as Maggie Clegg who ran the corner shop with her alcoholic husband.
During her seven-year stint on the soap, Irene shared the screen with legends Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples, Len Fairclough and Emily Nugent.
Before that she kick-started her career in the West End as society girl Polly Seedy-Stockings in George Bernard Shaw’s The Millionairess after training at LAMDA theatre school.
She went on to star in Dixon of Dock Green, Pathfinders in Space and Emergency – Ward Ten before landing a job on Coronation Street.
Long-suffering Maggie arrived in Weatherfield with her husband Les and bought the corner shop from David Barlow.
She divorced him two years later over his heavy drinking and went on to marry Ron Cooke.
Irene left the soap in 1975 and later returned to her theatre roots after her success on TV.
Most recently she enjoyed stints in Doctors and Doc Martin. Her last known TV job was in 2015 when she appeared in The Royals.
Irene kept her personal life out of the public eye, but was known to be a committee member of the Actors' Benevolent Fund who enjoyed playing bridge with close friends.
The 88-year-old died earlier this month on May 3 following a career spanning more than six decades.
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