‘I had a long think about it’: Corrie’s William Roache, 89, reveals he considered QUITTING the soap a decade after his debut as Ken Barlow
He was part of the original cast when the show first aired in 1960.
And Coronation Street star William Roache, 88, has revealed he briefly considered quitting the show in his 40s, after more than a decade as Ken Barlow.
The soap legend, who was only 28 when he first appeared on Corrie, said that while he did consider leaving to pursue other roles, he never thought about it seriously.
Thought about it: William Roache, 88, has revealed he briefly considered quitting the soap in his 40s (pictured with on-screen daughter Tracy, played by Kate Ford, in 2017)
He told The Mirror: ‘In my forties I had a long think about it and really looked at the whole thing.
‘But I just loved it so much. I thought about leaving but not really seriously and I never put it into action in any way whatsoever.’
One of the Ken’s early tragedies was after his first wife Valerie was killed off after being electrocuted with a faulty hair dryer.
It wasn’t the only heartache his character endured throughout the years, as he said: ‘Ken was a bit of a one-man Greek tragedy’.
Original: The soap legend (pictured in 1980) was part of the original cast when Coronation Street first aired in 1960
After Valerie was killed off, the soap star wondered whether the show’s bosses would keep him on.
Earlier this month, William admitted that he believes he is getting younger every year due to thinking positively.
The actor also insisted that he has no plans to retire his character Ken Barlow as the soap gears up to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Challenges: It wasn’t the only heartache his character endured throughout the years, as he said ‘Ken was a bit of a one-man Greek tragedy’ (pictured in 2020)
Bill told The Sun: ‘I’m getting younger every day. A lot of it is just belief.
‘It’s a collective consciousness, ”Oh I am too old for this”. It’s all in the mind. I wasn’t joking when I said I was getting younger every year.
‘If you think positively, your cells will renew themselves all the time. If you go down, the renewal process will go down. If you stay up, the renewal process will go up. You don’t have to age as much as people think. I’m not, anyway.’
Think positive: Earlier this month, William admitted that he believes he is getting younger every year due to thinking positively (pictured in November last year)