Coronation St cast attend Maggie Jones' funeral

A 'beautiful and dignified' funeral service has been held for the much-loved Coronation Street actress Maggie Jones.

The star, whose character Blanche Hunt was known for her withering and often hilarious put-downs, died on December 2 aged 75.

The private funeral service, attended by cast members and other colleagues as well as family and close friends, was held in London.

At the same time, a minute's silence was held on the Coronation Street set in Manchester to enable those who could not attend to pay their respects to the London-born actress.

A spokeswoman for the show said: "It was a beautiful and dignified service."

The 'perfect' service took place at St Peter's Catholic Church in the Clerkenwell area of London.

The spokeswoman said the star's life will be celebrated with a memorial service in Manchester, planned for February next year.

Jones was forced to pull out of filming on the ITV1 soap in October and had been in the Salford Royal Hospital, following major surgery.

She was said to have died peacefully in her sleep.

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