Corrie’s Cilla Battersby-Brown star Wendi Peters unrecognisable 10 years since quitting soap

Wendi Peters, who shot to fame playing Cilla Battersby-Brown on Coronation Street, left the soap 10 years ago, and she now looks very different

Coronation Street star Wendi Peters, famed for her role as the outspoken Cilla Battersby-Brown, has been spotted looking unrecognisable from her soap character.

The 56 year old actress became a beloved figure in the world of soaps when she first portrayed the loud-mouthed Cilla on Corrie in 2003, starring in numerous comedic storylines until her initial exit in 2007. Long-time viewers will recall how Cilla left her son Chesney Brown behind to embrace the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.

Peters briefly returned to the role of Cilla in 2014 for a six-week stint before bidding farewell once more. Since departing from the soap scene, she has featured in various touring productions and pantomimes nationwide, and has made regular appearances on our TV screens after joining the cast of Doctors.

**Wendi has found love again** (Image: Instagram/wendi.peters)

Earlier this year, it was revealed that she had found love again with carpet fitter Gareth Wale following her marriage split. The actress, who bid farewell to the Weatherfield cobbles a decade ago, has been enjoying some swoon-worthy dates with Gareth. Over Easter, the couple took a dreamy getaway to the Cotswolds, where Wendi shared photos with her followers.

This fresh romance comes after Wendi’s split from her former partner Kenny Linden after 20 years. An insider told The Sun at the time: “Wendi and Kenny were together for a long time and had a mostly happy marriage but grew apart. Wendi is focusing on her new role in Doctors and looking ahead to the future.”

**Wendi looks so different 10 years after exiting Corrie**

According to the source, the couple’s grown up daughter, fellow actress Gracie is still living with her father, with the couple having previously gone through seven rounds of IVF in order to conceive her. Away from his life as an actor and masseuse, Kenny was recently registered blind due to a rare hereditary condition PXE (pseudoxanthoma elasticum), which affects only around 1,500 people in the UK.

It isn’t the only health battle Kenny has faced in recent years either, as Wendi also opened up about a previous health scare he had suffered during a 2014 interview. She previously said: “We had been together six months when we visited my parents and Kenny said he wasn’t feeling well,” says Wendi. Then he had a major stomach haemorrhage and vomited blood all over their downstairs loo. He frightened us all and we took him to hospital where doctors gave him a blood transfusion and stopped the blood loss.”