Anne Kirkbride, who plays Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street, says she has no plans to leave the soap.
Speaking to Yours magazine the 54-year-old actress said that working on the soap had saved her life and that the role had helped her battle depression.
However she did say that despite this she was "loathe to grow old in the Street" but confirmed that she is committed to stay on the show until at least the programme’s 50th anniversary which takes place next year.
She told the magazine "Acting is my job - it pays my mortgage. If I earned my living from art it might be different. What I enjoy about my art is it's me, not part of a big rolling machine. I'm happy to stay in the Street, but as I get older I hope to slow down to pursue different interests."
