Fans celebrate their favourite Deirdre Barlow moments

Free the Weatherfield One is among the top favourite storylines with fans Credit: CROFT/PA

Stuffed marrows, the Baldwin affair and of course, Free the Weatherfield One.

Anne Kirkbride - best known for her Corrie alter ego Deirdre "Sexy Specs" Barlow - racked up some of the most iconic moments in UK TV soap history during her 44-year career.

Joining the Street as just a teenager, she fast became a favourite with viewers and helped the show gain notoriety, with Deirdre's affair with Mike Baldwin being the first storyline from Weatherfield to hit national media headlines.

ITV News viewers have been sharing their favourite memories of the beloved character - and while her razor-sharp wit, tense relationship with her mother and stuffed marrows all get a mention, there is one storyline for which she will always be known.

Here are the top five Deirdre moments:

5. The Deirdre and Ken love story

They got together, they split up, they reunited, they cheated on one another, they fought like cat and dog - but somehow, they always seemed to work things out.

Two of the longest-serving members of the cast, this love story is clearly a firm favourite with fans.

4. Stuffed marrows

Deirdre's signature dish - one that her mother and long-suffering husband Ken were not all that keen on, but one she perservered with nonetheless.

3. The Deirdre-Blanche double act

Deirdre's relationship with her mother was characterised by cutting quips and sarcastic put-downs, with an undercurrent of genuine affection.

2. The Mike Baldwin affair

Deirdre's affair with Mike was the first Corrie storyline to make newspaper column inches - especially when an angry Ken discovered what was going on and attacked his wife in their home.

The relationship between the two men was fraught from there onwards, with numerous punch-ups through the ensuing years.

1. Free the Weatherfield One

By far the most popular among fans seems to be the 1998 miscarriage of justice which saw her character jailed for mortgage and credit card fraud, while her conman lover Jon Lindsay walked free.

Fans were outraged, with 'Free the Weatherfield One' and 'Free Deirdre Rachid' posters and bumper stickers appearing across the country.

Prime Minister Tony Blair even got involved, issuing a tongue-in-cheek order to then-Home Secretary Jack Straw to investigate Deirdre's case.

Even Tony Blair got involved in the action Credit: BBC News
Deirdre's jailing sparked national outrage Credit: ITV News
The Free the Weatherfield One campaign hit the headlines Credit: ITV News
Deirdre was wrongly jailed for her then-lover's crimes Credit: ITV News