Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard is battling to walk again after a hip operation left her fearing she would be in a wheelchair for life.
The 63-year-old star, who played Liz McDonald and whose sudden departure from the soap puzzled millions of fans, said: “I’ve been gone because it has been the worst six months of my life.
“I have been in the most excruciating pain you can imagine – like teeth grinding inside my hip. But worse than that was the mental torture of thinking, Is this the end for me?’
“A huge part of me thought I’d never be able to return to Coronation Street – that I wouldn’t even walk again. I was in a state of shock and pain for four months. It has been absolute hell.”
Bev had a hip replacement on July 20 and was alone in hospital due to coronavirus restrictions. Now she’s back home in Manchester – but says she still has lasting effects from the first surgery.
She said: “I’ve got nerve damage, muscle damage. A lot of muscle has wasted away because I couldn’t walk. There have been days when I panicked. And there was definite doubt over whether I would walk again.”
Bev’s last Corrie scenes were aired in June and were filmed before March. Now her return to Street duty has been put on hold as she waits for doctors to sign her off.
