Sue Nicholls has played Audrey Roberts on the cobbles for 45 years

Sue Nicholls has captivated viewers of Coronation Street as the charismatic hairdresser Audrey Roberts for 45 years. But before she made her debut on the iconic Cobbles in 1979, Nicholls had a hidden talent as a singer and had already secured a soap role in the legendary Crossroads.

In 1968, Nicholls released the single Where Will You Be?, which climbed to number 17 in the UK Music Charts. Additionally, it is reported that she showcased her vocal skills in a Vienna cabaret club during her younger years.

Nicholls became a household name, gracing television screens with her presence in shows such as The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin, alongside Leonard Rossiter, from 1976-1979, and as Nadia Popov in Rentaghost from 1981-1984.

Sue Nicholls is famed for playing Audrey in Coronation Street (Image: ITV)

However, her claim to fame remains Coronation Street, where she has cemented her position as one of the Cobbles’ most cherished characters since joining the show in 1979 as Audrey, reports Lancs Live.

Throughout the years, fans of the soap have accompanied Audrey through joy and heartbreak, including her 1985 marriage to Alf Roberts and his devastating passing in 1999.

They have also witnessed Audrey supporting her daughter Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, through numerous trials and tribulations.

Audrey’s role as a great-grandmother to characters like Bethany Platt and her work alongside grandson David Platt in her hairdressing salon have also been highlights of her time on the show.

Sue Nicholls had a music career before appearing on Corrie

In a conversation with This Morning in March regarding her collaborations with Helen Worth, who will soon be leaving the show, Nicholls expressed her affection for her co-star, saying: “I love her to death, I love doing scenes with her.”

“When we fall out [on screen] we don’t fall out, it’s just a ‘true’ family thing that happens in life but [Gail’s] not a good judge of men – mind you, [Audrey] can talk! “.

She later added: “Coronation Street is now my life. I find it easy to come here, I love the people I work with. I love what they give me to do, and I want it to go on.”

Audrey also experienced a heart attack in the soap after a family dispute, but she recovered and has since returned to the cobbles. In 2011, a Coronation Street viewer saved her real-life when they noticed the actress had skin cancer.

The Platt’s have been a stable on Coronation Street for decades (Image: ITV)

Anna Bianconi-Moore, a nurse at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, was watching the show when she spotted a small mole on Nicholls’ shoulder.

After reaching out to the Coronation Street team, Nicholls was referred to a skin cancer specialist and diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Following her diagnosis, the mole was removed.

The nurse was invited to meet Nicholls on set following her life-saving intervention.

Nicholls also starred alongside her late husband Mark Eden on the cobbles in the 1980s, when he portrayed Alan Bradley. Eden exited the soap after his character was struck by a tram in 1989.

Nicholls and Eden met at a friend’s barbecue, where Eden asked for her number. She remembered how he made her laugh, and the couple had their first date at another friend’s barbecue.

 Sue Nicholls and her husband Mark Eden. (Image: PA)

They set up home together in 1984 and tied the knot in 1993, with Nicholl’s revealing to Mirror Online: “we’re soulmates.”

Discussing their partnership, Nicholls remarked, “We’re not sweetness and light all the time that would be horrendous.”

“But Mark is very romantic. He plays the piano, so we have a sing possibly after a couple of glasses of wine. Mark serenades me with Frank Sinatra, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, all those romantic numbers.”

Eden faced a battle with Alzheimer’s disease and was admitted to hospital in November 2020. Tragically, he passed away on January 1 2021.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV1 and ITVX