A CORONATION Street legend has returned to the cobbles of Weatherfield more than 42 years after her character’s steamy affair storyline – but there’s a twist.
Back in 1983, she became involved with one of the Street’s most beloved married men which shocked the nation at the time.
Actress Eileen O’Brien first appeared on the soap in 1983 as a character named Marjorie Proctor.
The character was involved in a steamy storyline which saw her have an affair with show favourite Len Fairclough played by the late Peter Adamson shortly before his death.
The affair left his grief stricken wife Rita played by Barbara Knox completely heartbroken.
And now, the actress has returned to the soap – but with a huge twist.
Coronation Street
Eileen, who is known for her role on Channel 4 Brookside as well as her role as Beattie Dixon on Emmerdale, is now playing an entirely new character named Joan Ripley.
The character is linked to the ongoing storyline about undertaker George Shuttleworth, played by Tony Maudsley.
In tonight’s episode, George faces a new workplace scandal as sweet-natured Joan collapses at the undertakers.
George is facing a desperate mission to save Shuttleworth’s amid false allegations that he scammed an elderly woman into naming him in her will.
So when Joan, another pensioner, takes a turn for the worse tonight, it’s fair to say that the timing couldn’t be any worse for George.
Eileen is no stranger to TV and has appeared in more than 70 screen roles throughout her career.
She is best known for playing Gladys Charlton in the Channel 4 soap Brookside where she played the character on the soap for more than two years in the nineties.
She also appeared in Eastenders for a year as a character named Edie Smith who was the mother of pregnant teenager Mary Smith.
Other roles include The Bill, Cold Feet, Heartbeat and A Touch of Frost.
In 2013, Eileen joined the cast of Emmerdale in a guest stint.
Her latest role saw her guest star in hit BBC comedy Not Going Out.
