Son Provides Update on Actress's Life

Eileen Derbyshire, the actress best known for playing Emily Bishop on ITV's Coronation Street, is now living in a retirement home for actors and actresses, her son Ollie has revealed. The 95-year-old has not appeared on the soap in seven years.

Ollie shared the update on X (formerly Twitter) after a fan asked about his mother's wellbeing. "She's still going. She's about to turn 95. She's in a home for retired actors and actresses now," he replied, as reported by the Daily Express and The Sun.

In a previous interview with The Times, Ollie described his mother as "private, and of a dying breed of old-fashioned actresses who do it for the love of acting, not for all the attendant publicity," adding that she is "well looked after and is happy," according to the Daily Express.

Script Giveaway for Fans

Ollie also announced that he is giving away old Coronation Street scripts he found while clearing out his mother's cottage. "When I cleared out my mum's cottage, I found a lot of old Coronation St scripts," he tweeted. "They're nothing fancy but if anyone would like a page or two for a memento, I'd be happy to mail a few out. No charge, obviously."

A Long Tenure on the Cobbles

Derbyshire first appeared as Emily Bishop on the soap's iconic cobbles in December 1960 when she was in her 20s. Over her 55-year tenure, her character was involved in numerous dramatic storylines, including her husband being shot, suffering a mental breakdown, and being the victim of a murder attempt.

In November 2015, it was confirmed that the character of Emily Bishop would leave the show. Emily departed on New Year's Day the following year, written out as traveling to Peru to be with her nephew Spider, who was teaching at a school there.

In January 2018, the character of Ken Barlow disclosed that Emily had returned to the UK to look after her ailing niece Freda in Scotland. Emily made a brief appearance in October of the following year for Ken Barlow's 80th birthday celebration, which marked the last time Derbyshire was seen on Coronation Street.