Coronation Street star Anne Kirkbride has told a jury that her on-screen husband William Roache was 'always a perfect gentleman' around her.
Ms Kirkbride, a stalwart of the ITV soap as Deirdre Barlow, was called as a character witness for the actor who is accused of a series of sex assaults.
Roache, 81, is accused of using his fame and popularity to exploit 'starstruck' youngsters for sex in the mid to late 1960s.
He denies two counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault involving five complainants aged 16 and under between 1965 and 1971.
Giving evidence from the witness box at Preston Crown Court, Ms Kirkbride was asked what one word she would use to describe Roache.
She replied: "Lovely."
Ms Kirkbride said she had never seen anything worrying about Roache's behaviour on set with young women from when she joined the show in about 1972.
The actress swore on the Bible and then chose to stand as she was asked a number of questions by defending barrister Louise Blackwell QC.
She confirmed she had known Roache 'for quite some time', after she started in the soap aged 17 or 18.
Ms Kirkbride was asked how she felt on joining Coronation Street.
She replied: "I was terrified for my first day. Very nervous going.
"It was a completely new situation. I didn't know anybody.
"I very quickly got to know people and it became easier."
Asked what she thought of Roache on meeting him, she said: "He was friendly. I remember the first time I spoke to him was outside a lift and we had a really nice chat and he offered me a cigarette.
"We shared a lot of the same interests in spiritual things. I just found him very easy to talk to."
Miss Blackwell asked her: "At that time, if you had one word to describe Mr Roache what would it be?"
She replied: "Lovely."
Roache smiled in the dock as she made the comment.
