'Coronation Street' star Liz Dawn "is worried" about undergoing life-saving heart surgery.
The veteran actress - famed for her role as Vera Duckworth in the ITV soap - will be fitted with a pacemaker at Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital on Friday (27.09.13) after suffering a heart attack earlier this year, but doctors have warned the procedure could pose a threat to her health as she is already seriously ill with incurable lung disease emphysema.
A friend told The Sun Newspaper: "Liz was quite worried about the op because of her emphysema. It has reduced her lung capacity to just 30 per cent which is putting extra strain on her heart. The doctors have told her she needs the operation to keep her alive.
"Liz realizes it is necessary and is for the best and is looking forward to a big improvement in her quality of life once the pacemaker is fitted. She's tough. She'll be fine."
The 73-year-old star - who smoked 24 cigarettes a day before giving up 15 years ago - suffered a heart attack in May while on holiday in Spain. She was taken to hospital after suffering chest pains on her return to Manchester.
Vera's husband Donald has addressed fans' concerns, insisting she is doing OK.
He said: "Liz is fine. She goes in to have the pacemaker fitted later this week."
Liz's deteriorating health resulted in her departure from the cobbles in 2008 when fans tuned in to watch as her character Vera died in her sleep, before Bill Tarmey - who played her on-screen husband Jack Duckworth - died last November.
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