The family of late ‘Coronation Street’ veteran Jean Alexander have opened up about her heartwarming final moments, following her death earlier this year.
The soap icon - best known for her portrayal of Hilda Ogden in ‘Corrie’ - died in October, at the age of 90, and will be at the centre of her own ITV tribute special.
During the show - airing on Tuesday (20 December) - her brother, Ken Hodgkinson, reveals their final conversation, in which she reflected on her career, commenting: “Not bad for a poor girl from Liverpool, is it?”
Ken explains: “Jean’s death came on suddenly. It was very hard to cope with it all. I still can’t get my head around it. The comforting thing is she was happy with what she had done.
“She said, ‘I’ve achieved what I wanted to do’. And she said, ‘it’s not bad for a poor girl from Liverpool is it?’.”
The special will also feature contributions from her former co-stars, Bill Roache and Michael Le Vell, the latter of whom became tearful as he watched old clips of himself and Jean in action.
Michael - whose character, Kevin Webster, was introduced as a lodger for Hilda Ogden in 1983 - says: “I had a few years working with the best. And she was the best.”
The Mirror previously claimed that former ‘Corrie’ star Julie Goodyear would also be appearing in the special, to share her own memories of Jean.
‘Hilda Ogden’s Last Ta-Ra - A Tribute To Jean Alexander’ will air on ITV on Tuesday (20 December) at 8pm on ITV.