Jury in Bill Roache trial retires to consider verdicts
The jury in the trial of Coronation Street actor William Roache has retired to consider its verdicts. Roache denies two counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault.
Coronation Street actress defends 'lovely' Bill Roache
Coronation Street star Anne Kirkbride has told a jury that her on-screen husband William Roache "was always a perfect gentleman" around her.
The actress, who has played Deidre Barlow since 1972, described Roache as "lovely" when asked to give one word to describe him.
Mr Roache smiled in the dock as she made the comment.
Ms Kirkbride said she had never seen anything worrying about Roache's behaviour on set with young women from when she joined the show.
Asked what she thought of the actor on meeting him, she said: "He was friendly. I remember the first time I spoke to him was outside a lift and we had a really nice chat and he offered me a cigarette.
"We shared a lot of the same interests in spiritual things. I just found him very easy to talk to."
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Coronation Street stars defend 'gentleman' Bill Roache
Coronation Street actor Bill Roache has been defended by some of his co-stars at his trial at Preston Crown Court.
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Bill Roache says he had 'no interest in gratuitous sex'
On his first day of evidence, actor Bill Roache denied all of the allegations against him insisting he had no interest in 'gratuitous sex'
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Alleged Roache victim: 'I blamed myself...I was a kid'
A woman has told the trial of Coronation Street's Bill Roache that the actor raped her on two occasions when she was 15 years old in 1967.