Barbara Knox has penned a new ‘Coronation Street’ deal.
Barbara Knox is staying on Coronation Street
The soap legend, who turns 90 later this month, is gearing up to enter her tenth decade of life and she has many more scenes to fill on the cobbles as Weatherfield resident Rita Tanner, who she has played since 1964.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column: “Barbara is in Corrie’s DNA. She is a true pro and the executives were delighted that she put pen to paper to ensure she’s on screens into next year.
“'Corrie' is a lovely, steady place to work with a supportive team so it makes it easy to fit around family, having kids and as the cast have grown older.
“It was a no-brainer for Barbara to sign on the dotted line when the regular renewal of contracts came around this year.”
Barbara - who first played Rita for one episode in 1964 before joining the ITV soap on a permanent basis in 1972 - has appeared on the cobbles for more than 3,900 episodes.
She is the second-oldest 'Corrie' star, behind only Ken Barlow actor Bill Roache, 91, who has starred in more than 4,700 episodes, while Gail Platt star Helen Worth, 72, has appeared in more than 4,500 episodes.
'Corrie' star Sally Ann Matthews, 53, has told how Barbara - who will be honoured with a Bradley Walsh-fronted television special next month - fears being axed from the soap every year.
She told the same publication: “I count myself very lucky that when I first joined the show, I had Barbara to work with - she's a real pro.
“Every year, she thinks she's not going to get another contract. I'm like, 'Seriously, Barbara?'
"If she ever forgets a line, which is very rare, she won't sleep that night – she's terrible. I tell her off all the time. Not many people can!”
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