Beverley Callard bankrupt after quitting Coronation Street for dying mother

Published on 16/07/2012 01:24

Former Coronation Street star Beverley Callard has revealed how she was left bankrupt after quitting the soap to spend time with her dying mother.

The actress said she gave up her role on the long-running series to spend time with her mother Mavis, who was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s.

In an interview, the 55-year-old admitted she also felt compelled to leave the show last spring because of concerns she was slipping back into depression, which had led to a nervous breakdown in 2009.

Ms Callard, who played barmaid Liz McDonald on the soap for 22 years, said: “Since the bankruptcy became public, people think I’m a showbiz diva who frittered her cash away on expensive dinners and fancy clothes. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It was horrific. I’ve worked non-stop since I was 16 and somehow it all seemed it had been for nothing.”

She said at their lowest point the couple were reduced to borrowing cash from friends and survived on just one meal a day.