In heartbreaking scenes to air later this year, Coronation Street favourite Jack Duckworth will see the ghost of his wife Vera on his deathbed.

Bill Tarmey announced in April that he was leaving the ITV soap after three decades and The Daily Star reports that his last lines will be him asking Vera (played by Liz Dawn) if it is warm where she is now.

“Liz has already agreed and will be back on set in the coming weeks,” a source told the paper. “They always had the comedy element as a couple and the scriptwriters get the balance just right.”

They added: “Vera will try to persuade Jack to join her and reassure him he’ll be OK.”

Insiders revealed that Bill has already began to film his final scenes and those watching have been moved to tears during taping.

“There are people who have been working on the show for more than 40 years who have never seen anything like it,” they said.

“The scenes of Jack coming to terms with his illness and accepting that he is going to die soon have left even the hardest of us with a lump in our throats.”

The source added: “Bill is playing the scenes brilliantly. But there was no way the bosses would let Jack die without one last scene with Vera.”