Coronation Street star Anita Carey dies aged 75

The actress, who was best known for her roles in Doctors and on the ITV soap, passed away on July 19, a Guardian obituary reports. Carey had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.

Carey began her career appearing in TV shows such as The Spoils of War and I Didn’t Know You Cared during the 1970s and ’80s. Her first stint on Coronation Street came in 1978 when she played Brenda Summers, a victim of domestic violence.

The actress spoke about the social importance of portraying a domestic violence storyline on screen at the time, working with women staying at a Manchester refuge while researching the role.

“I’ve done so much comedy on television that I was anxious to get a really meaty dramatic role,” she said (via The Guardian). “The social relevance of the part was a big challenge.”

She later returned to the cobbles in 1996, playing the role of Joyce Smedley. Her second stint on the soap lasted for a year, with Joyce sadly meeting her end after being knocked down by a car while chasing after her dog Scamper.

Carey also played two separate characters on Doctors, first appearing in a guest appearance as Shirley Carver for one episode in 2005.

She later returned between 2007 and 2009 in a regular role as receptionist Vivien March, winning a British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance for a rape storyline involving her character.

Carey later moved to the United States with her husband, actor and director Mark Wing-Davey, in 2008, with later TV and film credits including Candlesticks (2011) and The Last Witness (2018).