Took dancing lessons from the age of three and played a part in many school theatrical productions
Made her television debut on Granada Television's Scene at 6
30, aged 10
Made her stage debut as one of the Von Trapp children in a stage production of The Sound of Music at the Palace Theatre in London, aged 12
When she was 16 years old, her mother was killed in a hit-and-run road accident in Brighton
Worked in repertory theatre after graduating from drama school, including a year with the BBC Radio repertory company
Joined Coronation Street as Gail Platt in 1974 and has remained with the soap ever since
Is a patron of the Born Free Foundation, and joined them at the House of Commons in 2006 to speak about the proposed changes to the Animal Welfare Bill
Supports the charity ActionAid and has visited Sierra Leone to support its cause
Has received many awards including being honoured twice with the Outstanding Achievement Award for her performance on Coronation Street
Received the British Soap Award for Scene of the Year in 2019 for a monologue performed which was also nominated for a BAFTA TV Award