Fans of Coronation Street star Anne Kirkbride – who of course plays the role of Deirdre Barlow – may be aware that the star has battled cancer for several years, and has had to undergo innumerable treatments to cope with the disease.

As a result of her battle with illness, Anne has apparently suffered from clinical depression for years, and in a forthcoming documentary, which will air on ITV1 next month, Anne speaks candidly about her fight with her illnesses.

Of her battle with cancer – she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1993 – Anne says, “I just thought I was going to die.”

Entitled Deirdre and Me, the film will also celebrate Anne’s four decades of playing Deirdre, who is of course instantly recognizable because of her trademark thick spectacles…

And of course, it will explore the phenomenon of the “Free Deirdre” campaign which resulted from a storyline that saw Deirdre wrongly imprisoned for fraud.

However, the “Weatherfield One” plotline apparently later took its toll…

Of it, Anne says, “It was at the tail end of all that when the depression hit.

“I’m too sensitive. Everything hits me too hard and affects me too much.”

Anne’s husband David Beckett, who she met in 1990 on the set of the show when he played Deirdre’s joiner boyfriend Dave Barton, said, “Annie does get involved in her character…

“She does bring it home with her sometimes and mulls over the problems that Deirdre’s having.

“The depression crept up quite slowly.”

In the documentary, we’ll hear Anne speaking about her sorrow over the death of Maggie Jones, who of course played Deirdre’s battleaxe mother, Blanche Hunt.

The Sun states, “While filming Blanche’s funeral, she had to break off to attend Maggie’s memorial service.”

Of that Anne says, “When I got home that night, I sat in a chair, didn’t even take my coat off and just sobbed for an hour.”

We’ll also hear Anne talking about joining the cast of the show in November 1972 when she was just 18.

Her co-star Bill Roache, who of course plays Deirdre’s husband Ken Barlow, says of her, “Annie was the most beautiful, the sexiest and the best-looking girl in the Street, without question.”

Laughing, Anne added, “I was a Corrie babe – one of the dolly birds.”

And finally, Anne revealed that she has no intention of leaving the ITV soap.

She said, “I certainly have no intention of going – I’m very happy to stay.”

Yay!

Here’s a reminder of some of Anne’s scenes as Deirdre…