She returned to the Cobbles in 2018 as Evelyn Plummer, the long-lost grandmother of Tyrone Dobbs, following a six-week stint on the soap in 2002.
And Maureen Lipman has admitted that she was ‘incredibly nervous’ that returning to Coronation Street would ‘cheese off’ some of the regular actors.
The actress, 74, told Prima magazine starting on the long-running soap was a bit like the first day back at school, while she credited her career success to her confidence.
Chatting: Maureen Lipman has admitted that she was ‘incredibly nervous’ that returning to Coronation Street would ‘cheese off’ some of the regular actors
She revealed: ‘On my first day back, I was incredibly nervous. I learned my lines until I knew them by heart, but I didn’t know how the rest of the cast would react to me.
‘There’s always that feeling when you join something new that the regulars will be slightly cheesed off that you’ve come.
‘They have their jokes, they have their seats, then you arrive seeming a bit aloof because you’re actually more nervous than they know. It was a bit like going back to school!’
Discussing her time on the street, Maureen admitted she would like to introduce more comedy, however hard-hitting storylines don’t leave much room for it.
Nervy: The actress, 74, told Prima magazine starting on the long-running soap was a bit like the first day back at school, while she credited her career success to her confidence
She revealed: ‘On my first day back, I was incredibly nervous. I learned my lines until I knew them by heart, but I didn’t know how the rest of the cast would react to me’
However she said she does have a good time, especially with her on-screen grandson Alan Halsall, as they try to improvise together where they can.
Maureen’s stage and TV career has panned five decades, however she modestly admitted it isn’t her looks that have taken her so far.
She said: ‘I owe a lot of my success to having the gift of the gab. I was never a pretty young thing; I got my dad’s nose, slightly squinting eyes and buck teeth (I later had them fixed).
Ideal: Discussing her time on the street, Maureen admitted she would like to introduce more comedy, however hard-hitting storylines don’t leave much room for it
‘So, after drama school, it was a question of convincing people to give me the jobs when they were expecting a blonde with pert breasts to walk in.
I’ve never had that moment of: “Take your glasses off Miss Jones; you’re beautiful and we’re taking you to Hollywood.” Instead, I’ve sort of doggedly worried away at things like a terrier – and here I am!’
Maureen’s late husband Jack Rosenthal passed away in 2004 and she has since found love again with her partner Guido Castro.
During the interview, Maureen opened up about how she worried she was grieving ‘wrong’, and how she always struggles around the anniversary of Jack’s death.
She explained: ‘I found it almost impossible to grieve because my nature is to make people laugh. And then, I’d feel terrible about the fact I didn’t look like I was grieving enough. To try to make myself feel better, I bought things.
‘I bought a car, then I worried that people would think it was odd; why would she buy a car when her husband has just died? But I now know that we all grieve in our own ways; there’s no right or wrong way.
‘Sometimes, I still have my moments 16 years later. He died on 29 May and I always get miserable around that time of year. I think, “Oh, this thing is getting me down – it’s because I have a pain in my foot,” or “It’s because somebody hates me.” But then, I realise it’s coming up to that date and that’s why.’
Love: Maureen’s late husband Jack Rosenthal (pictured) passed away in 2004 and she has since found love again with her partner Guido Castro
Maureen also touched on how she has enjoyed such long-lasting relationships and the secret to the success of her romance with Guido.
She said: ‘I’ve been with Guido [Castro] for 12 years and he’s a lovely man. I haven’t always been the best wife, mother or lover – I think I’m a bit hit and miss – but I recognise a good man when I see him.
‘The secret to maintaining things is not letting go of the basic spark that brought you together. It’s like when you meet your best friends from school; you might have nothing in common now, but that essence is still there and you laugh at the same things because of it.’
Modest: Maureen’s stage and TV career has panned five decades, however she modestly admitted it isn’t her looks that have taken her so far
She said: ‘I owe a lot of my success to having the gift of the gab. I was never a pretty young thing; I got my dad’s nose, slightly squinting eyes and buck teeth (I later had them fixed)’
Although she is in a happy relationship, Maureen joked that she still catches the eye of younger men because they think she is a ‘slightly older’ woman in her thirties.
She said: ‘I can’t quite believe I’m in my 70s – I certainly don’t feel it! My face might be descending slightly south, but I honestly think that all the young men around me think I’m 36 – that I’m a ‘slightly older’ woman – because that’s how I feel.
‘You walk into a room and you think you’re going to have the same effect you always had… or maybe never had! It’s a funny thing to get your head around. Now that my hair is grey, I’ve never liked it better. I look back at pictures of me with brown hair and dyed red and gold bits with regret. What was I thinking?’
Read the full interview in Prima’s August issue, on sale 3rd July.
Cheeky! Although she is in a happy relationship, Maureen joked that she still catches the eye of younger men because they think she is a ‘slightly older’ woman in her thirties