The husband of beloved Coronation Street star Eileen Derbyshire has tragically died following a battle with Alzheimer's.
The actress, who played Emily Bishop in the ITV soap, was married to Thomas W Holt for 56 years.
Eileen, 89, lost her husband last weekend, with their only son Oliver at his dad's bedside.
She had met Thomas, a former engineer, in 1964 and they settled down together in a cottage in Cheshire.
Oliver shared the tragic news of his father's passing in his Mail On Sunday column.
He reflected on how his dad had taken him to hist first football game at Stockport County's Edgeley Park.
Oliver penned: "My dad never forgot Stockport even when he was deep into his struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He wanted to go back there and revisit all the places of his youth. Sometimes, he asked me if I’d give him the bus fare for the journey."
Revealing his dad died last weekend, he went on: "He was unconscious by the time I arrived but, after I had been sitting at his bedside for a while, I told him I’d been to watch the home game against Sutton United 10 days earlier.
"I told him that when I sat down, I’d made a point of glancing over – just as I always do – to the seats in Section A where we sat that first time he took me to Edgeley Park. I told him I could still see the man in the sheepskin jacket. I told him I could still smell the cigar smoke."
Eileen holds the record for the longest-serving woman on Corrie after joining as Emily 58 years ago.
She left the cobbles in 2015 when she was given time off by bosses for personal reasons.
It was said at the time that producers were leaving the door open for a possible return in the future.
Her character was seen leaving Weatherfield to spend time with her nephew in South America.
She returned for a brief cameo in 2019 as part of the celebrations for character Ken Barlow's 80th birthday.
She was seen sending her well-wishes to him in a video message.
