Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman becomes show's first ever dame

Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman has made history on the cobbles by becoming the first serving actor on the ITV soap to receive a damehood or a knighthood.

Congratulations, Dame Maureen!

The long-standing actor, who plays Evelyn Plummer on the show, received her honour yesterday (October 27) in an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle led by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.

Lipman was officially appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire last year, for her services to charity, entertainment, and the arts.

coronation street star maureen lipman receives dbe at windsor castle

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Speaking after the prestigious ceremony, Lipman joked that she struggled to find something to wear for the event. "It's been a long time coming because I heard about it in 2020 and then I couldn't collect it," she said.

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"And so the coat you bought becomes like something you don't want to wear."

Fortunately, Corrie's wardrobe department was on hand to help, giving Maureen a choice of not one, not two, but seven fascinators.

"In the end I went to Coronation Street and I said, 'Have you got any fascinators in wardrobe?', and they gave me seven," she revealed. "I travelled back from Manchester with seven hats and on Tuesday I had friends round and they said, 'Wear that, no that, not that.'

"And I completely blew it this morning and changed my mind."

ITV

Dame Maureen first appeared in Weatherfield as Evelyn Plummer back in 2018, and recently returned to the soap in April of this year after "taking a bit of a sabbatical".

Coronation Street explained Evelyn's absence with her taking a trip on "a scenic rail journey" with a friend.

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.