Coronation Street reached a low of eight million in February 1973, when Pat Phoenix quit as Elsie Tanner, Violet Carson (battleaxe Ena Sharples) was written out for most of the year due to illness, and Doris Speed (haughty landlady Annie Walker) took two months' leave due to bereavement. The audience of ITV's other flagship soap opera "Crossroads" increased markedly at this time, as its established cast, such as Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon), grew in popularity. These sudden departures forced the writing team to quickly develop characters who had previously stood in the background. The roles of Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear), Deirdre Hunt
Michelle Collins Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1961) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas "EastEnders" and "Coronation Street". Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap "EastEnders" from 1988 to 1998, with a two-year break between 1990 and 1992. She played Stella Price in the ITV soap "Coronation Street" from 2011 to 2014. Her other notable TV roles include the BBC dramas "Real Women" (1998–99), "Sunburn" (1999–2000) and "Two Thousand Acres of Sky" (2001–03). Collins was born at Hackney South East Hospital in Hackney, East London to an