Happy Birthday To Bill!
As Coronation Street legend William Roache turns 90 today (April 25th) his family have marked the occasion with these stunning new portraits taken by William’s son Will.
Taken at the family home in Cheshire the photographs capture Bill smiling and relaxed, a world away from his Coronation Street alter ego Ken Barlow.
In the recent documentary to mark Bill’s milestone birthday, viewers saw the man behind the world’s longest running soap star enjoying the company of Will and daughter Verity.
It was this side of his father that Will wanted to capture in the photos.
Will said: “We had a lot of fun taking these shots. I think just having the family there made my father feel more relaxed which enabled me to capture his true vivacious personality and vibrant essence; the part of him that we are lucky enough to see everyday, but is rarely seen publicly.”
Bill enjoyed the experience too and is delighted with the new shots. He said: “Will is really talented, he studied photography when he was younger so he has a lot of technical knowledge but for me it was about how relaxed we all felt. Will set everything up in the conservatory and we were all just chatting and laughing and he knew just when to capture the moment. I can honestly say those are the best photographs I've ever had taken.”
The two previously unseen photographs were part of a set of new images for the re release of an updated version of William’s book Life and Soul, his inspiring guide, sharing his philosophy, practical tips, and life lessons for leading a happy, healthy life.
Bill added: “They wanted some up to date photographs for the new version of the book and it was lovely for Will to be able to take them, it was exactly what they wanted.
Bill explained that four years after releasing the book he felt the time was right to update it.
He explained: “Well, of course it was my children who first got me to write it four years ago. It felt like the right time to update it as I am turning 90 and also after the past two years and how they have affected everyone differently.
“So talk a bit about how the pandemic affected me. But also we're always changing. You know, it's funny how you can read a line in the book that was really meaningful to you and you come back and you read that same line about two years later and it means something even more. What that means is you are opening up your awareness and you are evolving as a human being. I just wrote the new elements as best I could, reflecting some of the differences that have occurred in the last four years.”