From playing a teleporting ghost to releasing a chart-topping single, there's a lot you might not know about the legendary Sue Nicholls...
Sue Nicholls has become one of the most loved actress on British television since joining Coronation Street 40 years ago as Gail Platt's flirtatious mum, Audrey Roberts.
Since 1979 soap fans have enjoyed watching Audrey's highs and lows play out on screen, and Sue has won four British Soap Awards for her role, most recently being awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award earlier this year.
Here are 7 things you might not know about Coronation Street legend Sue Nicholls...
1. She does a very good ghost impression
Before joining the cast of Coronation Street, Sue starred in numerous TV shows like Crossroads, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and children's BBC comedy drama Rentaghost.
Sue joined the cast in 1981 and played the character Nadia Popov, a Dutch ghost who suffered from hayfever and teleported away whenever she sneezed.
2. A Coronation Street fan saved her life
In 2011 a senior nurse in a dermatology department in a hospital in Cambridge noticed a mole on Sue's shoulder while watching her on TV and emailed Coronation Street to express her concerns. Sue then was seen by the in-house doctor at Coronation Street before being referred to a skin cancer specialist who diagnosed the actress with malignant melanoma.
After the mole was surgically removed ITV contacted the nurse who has written in and invited her to come and meet Sue on set. And the rest, as they say, is history!
3. She's married to a former co-star
Sue is has been married to actor Mark Eden since 1993. Soap fans will know Mark as Coronation Street baddie Alan Bradley who appeared on the soap in the 80s. Mark's time in the soap came to an end when his character was killed by a Blackpool tram.
Sue recently said of her husband: "He's 91 and I'm very lucky he's still here. Mark is lovely."
4. She is renowned for making everyone laugh on set
Sue's cast mates on Coronation Street have often said that there's not a dull day on set with Sue around. As well as always seeing the funny side of life and bringing that humour to work, she apparently leaves everyone in stitches as she adds little Audrey quirks into the scripts when people least expect it.
5. She thinks of her co-stars as family
Sue doesn't have any children of her own, and credits her lack of sleepless night to why she looks so youthful. She told mirror.co.uk recently: "I met Mark late in life, I was nearly 40, so children just didn't happen. As much as I'd have liked it, I didn't have a family to bring up and worry about... maybe that's helped keep me young.
"I've never dwelled on it and I'm glad in a way because I probably wouldn't have been in the show all these years if I'd had children. It's probably why I love coming to work. I get my family here. I've got surrogate children and grandchildren."
6. She's released a chart-topping single
Following on from her four years playing Marilyn Gates in Crossroads back in the 60s, Sue found herself recording her own single after she sang on the programme. The song, 'Where Will You Be?' was released in July 1968 and reached number 17 in the UK charts.
7. She's not planning on retiring
Sue has admitted that even through friends have hinted that it might be about time to hang up Audrey's hairdressing scissors, she's not going anywhere. Phew! She told mirror.co.uk: "If they'll have me, I'd love to be here in 10 years' time because I like playing Audrey. There's lots to achieve yet, so if I get the sack I'll lock myself in Audrey's salon and refuse to leave!"
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
