Coronation Street's Ken Barlow set to have an exciting new love interest

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Coronation Street viewers may just recognise her!

Wendy demands some answers from Ken
(Image credit: ITV)

It looks like there's going to be a new love interest on the Coronation Street cobbles, with a former Absolutely Fabulous star set to join the cast as Ken Barlow's love interest.

Helen Lederer will join Coronation Street in the coming months in a new storyline that will see the 91-year-old character find love again. 

The official Coronation Street X (formerly Twitter) page released a post announcing the news on 17th March, alongside the caption, 'Helen Lederer to guest star in Coronation Street Silver Fox Ken Barlow will prove he still has what it takes to woo the ladies when he catches the eye of Elspeth, played by Helen!'

Fans were quick to show their appreciation, with one writing, 'Awww, I remember her in a Scottish comedy series called "Naked Video" on BBC 2 back in the 1980s. She was/is a brilliant comedienne and seems life has been kind to her as she doesn't seem to have aged that much.'

While another said, 'An absolute comedy legend - finally putting some fun into Corrie.'

A TV insider told The Sun more about the new arrival, commenting, "Despite being Weatherfield's oldest resident Ken still has an eye for the ladies and his character is very charming." 

The source also suggested that this new love interest will help boost actor Bill Roche's earnings after it was revealed that the Corrie star has been struggling financially. 

Speaking about Bill's money troubles earlier this year, a spokesperson for Coronation Street said, "We're really sorry to hear of Bill's financial situation. He has an ongoing contract with Coronation Street and remains a much-loved member of the cast."

We're excited to see what's in store for Ken next!

Tune in to the next episode of Coronation Street on Monday 23th March to see what's next for the residents of Weatherfield. 

Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. 

You can also catch up on episodes on ITVX.

Lauren Hughes
Freelance writer

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren worked on the woman&home brand for four years before going freelance. Before woman&home Lauren worked across a variety of women's lifestyle titles, including GoodTo, Woman's Own, and Woman magazine. After starting out working for a local paper in Yorkshire, her journalism career took her to Bristol where she hunted out stories for national papers and magazines at Medavia news agency, before landing a job in London working as a lifestyle assistant.

A big fan of adventure, Lauren is also a keen travel writer and loves sharing tips on where to find the best places to eat, drink, and be merry off the beaten track. Lauren has written a series of travel guides for London hotels and loves sharing her insights into a destination's cultural and culinary offerings. If you need a recommendation on any UK destination, she's more than happy to help. At the weekend, you'll usually find her hanging out with her pet cat (or anyone else's pet she can get her hands on), escaping to the countryside, or devouring a good book.