She may have a stable home life now, but over the years Deirdre's had a torrid love life and an unfortunate taste in men that has put her in some dicey situations. She was dubbed 'sexy specs' in her younger years due to her fondness for oversized glasses.
Families have to stick together. That's what you have a family for. They're like flowers. Take one petal away and before you know it, it's all gone.
1972 Goes to a party at the Rovers and applies for a part-time job there later in the year.
1974 Engaged to landlord Billy Walker, who is 20 years older than her. Ditches Billy and marries Ray instead.
1977 Gives birth to baby Tracy. Is sexually assaulted under the viaduct and nearly has a breakdown.
1978 Ray has an affair with a waitress and leaves for a new life in Holland. Deirdre refuses to go with him.
1979 Lorry crashes into the Rovers and baby Tracy is missing - but she's safe and sound - disturbed Sally Norton 'borrowed' her just before the crash.
1981 Has a brief fling with Ken Barlow but then starts dating Mike Baldwin. Can't resist Ken and they're reunited and marry in July.
1983 Has an affair with Mike. Ken finds out but they repair their marriage.
1987 Turns to politics and is elected local councillor.
1990 Divorces Ken after he has an affair with his secretary, Wendy. Dates plumber Dave Barton, then conman Phil Jennings, who almost diddles her out of all her cash.
1994 Leaves for six months to look after her ill mum Blanche. Returns to find Ken with a new woman. Has a fling with young waiter Samir on a Morrocan holiday and they marry in November.
1995 Tracy nearly dies from kidney failure after taking drugs. Samir offers to donate a kidney but is killed on the way to hospital when he's set upon by thugs.
1997 Dates 'pilot' Jon Lindsay, who is not all he seems.
1998 Jon is a fraudster and rings up huge debts on credit cards taken out in Deirdre's name. Arrested for fraud and imprisoned but the 'Weatherfield One' is let out when Jon's ex-wife testifies against him.
1999 Reignites relationship with ex-hubby Ken after a Valentine's Day disco and they move in together. Mum Blanche also moves in.
2000 Quits her job at the Underworld factory and gets a job at Dev's corner shop. Has a crush on Dev.
2001 Ken unromantically proposes to increase his chances of getting custody of his Scottish grandson Adam and Deirdre is offended. Sleeps with Dev at Christmas.
2002 Dev's fiancée Geena discovers their indiscretion but Deirdre keeps the news from Ken. Tracy visits at Christmas.
2003 Tracy finds out that Deirdre slept with Dev. Forced to confess to Ken, who is horrified, but wants them to work things through.
2004 Becomes a grandma when baby Amy is born.
2005 Ken proposes. Turns him down when he admits it was for financial reasons! Ken tries again and Deirdre accepts. They miss saying their vows when Tracy has a minor road accident and Deirdre's ex-husband Ray turns up but rearrange and tie the knot.
Anne was born in Oldham, Lancashire, on 21 June 1954. Her father Jack was a cartoonist and her brother John is an author. Anne joined Oldham Rep as soon as she left school and got her first break on TV in a Jack Rosenthal play, Another Sunday And Sweet FA. She was just 18 when she was offered the part of Deirdre in Coronation Street and soon became a regular.
Anne lives in Didbury with her husband, actor David Beckett, who played one of her on-screen boyfriends Dave Barton. They married in 1992 and have no children. In 1994, Anne had several months off work when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, but happily she recovered after a course of chemotherapy.
