Coronation Street and Doctors actress Anita Carey dies after breast cancer battle

Coronation Street Anita Carey has died at the age of 75, following a 13 year battle with breast cancer.

The actress played both Brenda Summers and Joyce Smedley in the ITV soap, in roles that were two decades apart.

She also appeared in Doctors as Vivian March, but sadly died on 19 July, reports The Guardian.

Anita was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1946 and began her career performing in British comedy series including I Didn't Know You Cared, in the 1970s.

In 1978, she was cast as Brenda Summers in Coronation Street – Brenda was a victim of domestic violence and a friend of Emily Bishop, played by Eileen Derbyshire.

“I’ve done so much comedy on television that I was anxious to get a really meaty dramatic role,” she said at the time, explaining she'd researched the issue by speaking to women at a refuge in Manchester.

She added: “The social relevance of the part was a big challenge. It made me think hard about battered wives.”

In 1996 she returned as Joyce Smedley, but famously met her demise on the cobbles when she was killed by a car while chasing after her dog, Scamper.

And she returned to soaps in 2007 playing Vivien March, a receptionist in BBC drama Doctors. The role won her a British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance, with a storyline that saw her character involved in a harrowing rape.

Away from her successful life on screen, Anita was married to the famous British actor and director Mark Wing-Davey. The couple met while they were at a production for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde at the Sheffield Crucible back in 1973.

Many years later, in 2002, the couple then tied the knot and have been married ever since. The couple share two children together, Zanna and Isabella.

In 2008, Anita followed Mark and moved out to the United States as he took up a new job role. Mark accepted the job at the famous New York University theatre school.

While over in America, Anita continued to act and landed many roles while out there, and that continued even after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. Some of Anita's most recent credits include The Last Witness and Candlesticks.

It wasn't just acting on screen that Anita did while out in America, as she also appeared on stage. Despite her diagnosis, she starred in many shows in cities such as Berkeley, Washington and New York.

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