Vera exits the cobbled street
http://www.afterhours.ie/articles/65/1/Vera-exits-the-cobbled-street/Page1.html
Seamus O'Neill
A Masters in International Journalism student and a graduate of Advertising and Media Studies, I am hugely interested in the entertainment field. I also write on more serious issues but you can't beat a bit of juicy gossip!!
For other articles by me check out my blog: http://www.wellblogitanyway.blogspot.com
By Seamus O'Neill
Published on 02/5/2008
The life and times of Corries much loved Vera Duckworth.
One Duckworth leaves the nest in the cobbles.
She burst onto our screens as a loud brash lass on the 19th August 1974. From then on she was to take the soap world by storm as one half of the quibbling comedy couple, Jack and Vera Duckworth.
When Vera moved into number nine Coronation Street it was to the shock of her neighbours who thought she was nothing but a loudmouth. And they were right. Vera was always talking or shouting and making her presence known. She seemed to have spent most of her life chasing after her husband Jack Duckworth.
Jack and Vera became one of the most popular couples out of all the British soaps. Coming from a working class background in Manchester the couple represented many couples then and even still today. In an interview with Trevor McDonald for ITVs ‘Tonight’ programme the actress who played Vera, Elizabeth Dawn believed, Jack and Vera “represented a lot of people, there is a lot of Jack and Veras around.” Although they had very little and they seemed to fight all the time, the viewers knew deep down they loved each other.
Jack did, unfortunately for the sanity of Vera, have an eye for the ladies and at one point had an affair with another Coronation Street legend Bet Lynch. But Jack was always to return to Vera, perhaps no one else would put up with his antics.
They had a bumpy life when it came to their son Terry who caused mayhem where ever he was. He created many sleepless nights for Jack and Vera, the latter trying to believe he wasn’t that bad and would come right. He never did, instead he spent time in jail and left Jack and Vera with three grandchildren whom he never cared for.
Vera liked to air her dirty laundry in public, whether this was at the Rovers Return or in the many jobs she had including working in Mike Baldwin’s factory aswell as warehouse and supermarket jobs.
However Jack and Vera thought they hit the jackpot when Jacks brother left them £30,000 in his will. This hepled the streets most lovably couple buy the Rovers Return in 1995. The Duckworth empire as landlord and landlady of the Rovers Return did not last long after problems with VAT saw them lose the hold on the pub and they found themselves once again outside the bar counter.
A funnier moment in the life of Vera Duckworth came when she believed she could be second cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth. At her mothers funeral a strange man introduced himself as her real father and said how his father was the illegitimate grandson of King Edward VΙΙ making Vera believe she had royal blood in her.
Recently the character of Vera was been seen less and less as in real life the lady who played her is suffering from ill health. Elizabeth Dawn who was born in Leeds in November 1939, is suffering from the lung disease emphysema.
As the disease was taking its toll on the actress she reqested to be taken out of the programme and on the 18th January 2008 Vera passed away in her sleep, much to the heartache of Jack.
When discussing her departure from the soap on the ‘Tonight’ show on ITV Elizabeth Dawn said she “could have gone to Blackpool with Jack but the only way to go was to die.”
The actress who played Vera for 34 years confessed how she had smoked since she was 14 years old and regretted smoking in front of people on the Coronation Street set. Ms. Dawn said, “there are a lot of non-smokers in 'Coronation Street' that I have stood next to and smoked.”
She now has only one third of her lung capacity left and in a message to young people she had this advice, “try your best to stop smoking and especially youngster who are starting to smoke, try not get addicted to tobacco, it is a killer.”
The actress who was awarded an MBE in 2000 for her services to charity now has to take daily medication. In one of her final walks around the cobbled streets of Coronation Street on the ‘Tonight’ show the actress waved and said “goodbye the street, love yeah. I’ll keep watching.”
So Elizabeth Dawn will watch on from her armchair, like the 12.5 million who watched a rather fragile Vera Duckworth pass away from the Street and onto that better place…the streets archive.
When Vera moved into number nine Coronation Street it was to the shock of her neighbours who thought she was nothing but a loudmouth. And they were right. Vera was always talking or shouting and making her presence known. She seemed to have spent most of her life chasing after her husband Jack Duckworth.
Jack and Vera became one of the most popular couples out of all the British soaps. Coming from a working class background in Manchester the couple represented many couples then and even still today. In an interview with Trevor McDonald for ITVs ‘Tonight’ programme the actress who played Vera, Elizabeth Dawn believed, Jack and Vera “represented a lot of people, there is a lot of Jack and Veras around.” Although they had very little and they seemed to fight all the time, the viewers knew deep down they loved each other.
Jack did, unfortunately for the sanity of Vera, have an eye for the ladies and at one point had an affair with another Coronation Street legend Bet Lynch. But Jack was always to return to Vera, perhaps no one else would put up with his antics.
They had a bumpy life when it came to their son Terry who caused mayhem where ever he was. He created many sleepless nights for Jack and Vera, the latter trying to believe he wasn’t that bad and would come right. He never did, instead he spent time in jail and left Jack and Vera with three grandchildren whom he never cared for.
Vera liked to air her dirty laundry in public, whether this was at the Rovers Return or in the many jobs she had including working in Mike Baldwin’s factory aswell as warehouse and supermarket jobs.
However Jack and Vera thought they hit the jackpot when Jacks brother left them £30,000 in his will. This hepled the streets most lovably couple buy the Rovers Return in 1995. The Duckworth empire as landlord and landlady of the Rovers Return did not last long after problems with VAT saw them lose the hold on the pub and they found themselves once again outside the bar counter.
A funnier moment in the life of Vera Duckworth came when she believed she could be second cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth. At her mothers funeral a strange man introduced himself as her real father and said how his father was the illegitimate grandson of King Edward VΙΙ making Vera believe she had royal blood in her.
Recently the character of Vera was been seen less and less as in real life the lady who played her is suffering from ill health. Elizabeth Dawn who was born in Leeds in November 1939, is suffering from the lung disease emphysema.
As the disease was taking its toll on the actress she reqested to be taken out of the programme and on the 18th January 2008 Vera passed away in her sleep, much to the heartache of Jack.
When discussing her departure from the soap on the ‘Tonight’ show on ITV Elizabeth Dawn said she “could have gone to Blackpool with Jack but the only way to go was to die.”
The actress who played Vera for 34 years confessed how she had smoked since she was 14 years old and regretted smoking in front of people on the Coronation Street set. Ms. Dawn said, “there are a lot of non-smokers in 'Coronation Street' that I have stood next to and smoked.”
She now has only one third of her lung capacity left and in a message to young people she had this advice, “try your best to stop smoking and especially youngster who are starting to smoke, try not get addicted to tobacco, it is a killer.”
The actress who was awarded an MBE in 2000 for her services to charity now has to take daily medication. In one of her final walks around the cobbled streets of Coronation Street on the ‘Tonight’ show the actress waved and said “goodbye the street, love yeah. I’ll keep watching.”
So Elizabeth Dawn will watch on from her armchair, like the 12.5 million who watched a rather fragile Vera Duckworth pass away from the Street and onto that better place…the streets archive.