'Coronation Street' legend Liz Dawn has said she has a big regret in that she didn't leave the soap earlier in her career.
The 74-year-old actress - who played Vera Duckworth on-and-off from 1974 until 2010 - officially turned her back on the cobbles eight years ago after incurable lung disease emphysema forced her to retire.
However, the screen star - who made a brief one-off return in 2010 as a ghost - believes she should have left the soap long before she did because she was struggling immensely.
Liz explained: "I wish I had left before.
"It was a bit of a struggle. Some days I would have to sit in the car for about 10 minutes before I had the energy to even start the engine.
"And then your memory goes. I used to have more and more notes on that table in the Duckworths' living room."
Liz admits it was her co-star Bill Tarmey - who played her on-screen husband Jack Duckworth - that got her through the physical challenges on set.
She said: "To be honest, I don't know how anybody can stay in a soap for 34 years. You would have to be mental. It takes over your life. Especially Jack and Vera."
Bill sadly passed away at his holiday home in Tenerife in 2012 after suffering from a heart attack, but Liz insists he will always remain in her heart.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Ah Bill, I miss him you know.
"I have him in my purse, I carry a picture of him with me always. Every scene I filmed with Bill was a treat."
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