Eileen Derbyshire facts for kids

Eileen Derbyshire (born 6 October 1931) is a talented English actress who is well-known for playing the character Emily Bishop in the popular TV show Coronation Street. She played Emily for 55 years, from January 1961 to January 2016, and even had a short appearance in October 2019. This made her the longest-serving female actor in a British TV soap opera! For her amazing acting career, she was given a special award called an MBE in 2010.

Early Life and First Roles

Eileen Derbyshire was born in 1931 in a place called Urmston, in Lancashire, England. When she was just 17, she started acting in plays that were broadcast on the radio. After taking on a few small parts in television shows, she joined the cast of Coronation Street. Her first appearance was in January 1961 as a character named Miss Nugent. Later, in 1962, her character was given the first name Emily.

Eileen's Acting Journey

Eileen Derbyshire actually has a degree in teaching. She studied at the Northern School of Music and passed her exams at the Royal Academy of Music. She started her career teaching speech and drama, but she always dreamed of being an actress.

One day, while on a bus, she saw the Chorlton Repertory Theatre. She decided to ask for an audition there. She was accepted as a student and later became an assistant stage manager. From there, she joined a traveling theatre group called Century Theatre. She performed in plays all over the country, gaining lots of experience in different theatre productions across the UK.

Personal Life and Interests

Eileen Derbyshire married an engineer named Thomas Holt in 1965. The next year, they had a son named Oliver Holt. The family had a lovely cottage in Cheshire. Eileen enjoys many hobbies, including listening to opera, reading books, going to concerts, and taking holidays in beautiful cities like Vienna and Venice. Thomas Holt, her husband, passed away in February 2021.

Eileen is known for being a very private person. She has rarely joined her fellow cast members at awards shows or other public events. She also did not appear in many of the promotional videos for Coronation Street. She has only appeared on screen as herself (not in character) a couple of times. In 1988, she gave an interview for a documentary about her good friend and fellow actor Margot Bryant. In 2005, she was interviewed for a TV show for deaf viewers, where she talked about working with the deaf actor Ali Briggs. She also appeared with the rest of the Coronation Street cast in episodes of This Is Your Life for other actors like Patricia Phoenix, Jack Howarth, Julie Goodyear, William Roache, and Anne Kirkbride. Her son has explained that she is simply "private" and loves acting for the art, not for the fame.

Eileen Derbyshire has three grandchildren. She is also the godmother to three of actor William Roache's children and to Barbara Knox's daughter, Maxine.

Eileen left Coronation Street for personal reasons in December 2015. Her last episode aired on 1 January 2016, and it was described as a break. She made a brief return in October 2019 for a special celebration. She appeared on a video call as part of the on-screen birthday party for the long-standing character Ken Barlow.

Awards and Recognition

Eileen Derbyshire was honored with the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours list. This award was given to her for her great contributions to drama and acting.